May 10, 2011
Maryland

Somerset wind presentation to be held

Written by Liz Holland, Staff Writer, www.delmarvanow.com 10 May 2011

PRINCESS ANNE – Somerset County Commissioners expect to be briefed today on efforts by one company to build large-scale wind energy systems on farmland.

Officials with Delsea Energy are scheduled to give a presentation at the beginning of the 2 p.m. meeting.

Delsea is one of two companies talking to Somerset County farmers and other owners of large tracts in the hopes of leasing areas to install turbines.

The other company – Pioneer Green Energy of Austin, Texas – met with Commissioners in March.

“And I think there’s a third one on the horizon,” said County Administrator Cindy Ward.

The county’s Planning Commission has started working on an ordinance for commercial wind operations, but it has yet to be adopted.

“They can’t do anything until we have an ordinance,” she said.

Businesses are looking at the area because of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s goal of generating 20 percent of the state’s energy from renewable sources by 2022. They also are attracted by the grants, loans and tax credits offered through the Maryland Energy Administration.

County Commissioners and planning staff are set to meet in two weeks with a technical team from the Patuxent River Naval Air Station to address concerns that wind turbines in Somerset County could affect radar and radar-based measurement systems.

Also on today’s agenda, Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 3 p.m. on a Community Development Block Grant application to renovate space at a former elementary school on Sign Post Road in Westover for a new MAC center.

Once it is built, the county’s Commission on Aging is expected to close MAC centers in Princess Anne and Crisfield, Ward said.

The county recently completed renovations in another part of the building to house satellite offices for the Somerset County Health Department.

Commissioners also are scheduled to open bids for several drainage projects.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/05/10/somerset-wind-presentation-to-be-held/