Wind Power News: Maryland
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Ocean City, others sue federal government over offshore wind project
After months of threats, Ocean City on Friday filed a lawsuit against the federal government over the siting of a massive wind farm a little more than 10 miles off its coast. The Maryland tourist town was joined in its suit by a large and eclectic group of plaintiffs, including Worcester County, a Delaware town, a host of community associations, a hotel management company, the Ocean City Marlin Club and a national group dedicated to protecting the endangered right whale. . . . Complete story »
IRHS students present research on impact of wind farms
“After the students started to research, the entire class – 100 percent – shifted toward the negative impacts far outweighing the positive impacts.” A group of Indian River High School students, charged with researching the potential impacts of wind farms off the coast of Maryland, recently presented their findings to Fenwick Island officials and residents. The students – juniors and seniors from Jordan O’Boyle’s Engineering Design & Development class – gave their presentation during a Fenwick Island Town Council meeting on Friday, Sept. 27. . . . Complete story »
Delaware watermen sue to delay US Wind turbine project off Ocean City coast
Two Delaware watermen filed a lawsuit to delay the U.S. Wind project off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland. The watermen said they worry about the impact that wind turbines could have on their livelihood. Advertisement “The windmills are going to create such echoes off the radars that we’re not even going to know where everything is,” waterman Paul Wes Townsend said. The Caesar Rodney Institute filed the lawsuit against the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control on . . . Complete story »
Worcester commissioners ask Sussex County to reject wind farm substation
The Worcester County Commissioners have agreed to ask leaders in Sussex County, Delaware, to oppose a conditional use request to construct a substation at the Indian River power plant. The Worcester County Commissioners will ask its northerly neighbor to oppose a conditional use request to construct a substation at the Indian River power plant. The commissioners recently voted to send a letter to the Sussex County Council asking for its rejection of a conditional use request from a US Wind . . . Complete story »
Ocean City’s firm stand against US Wind’s Offer: Integrity over price
In the serene setting of Ocean City, a storm brews not from the natural forces of the Atlantic but from a proposal that has sparked a wave of controversy along its shores. US Wind, a company with ambitious plans to erect 940 wind turbines off the coast, has extended an olive branch wrapped in dollar bills to nearby communities, including Ocean City itself. Yet, in an era where silence can be bought, one voice resounds with unwavering clarity: the future . . . Complete story »
Ocean City is not for sale
Recently, US Wind, the company planning to build 940 tall wind turbines as close as 10.9 miles off the coast of Ocean City, has engaged in discussions with our neighboring Delaware Resort Communities offering them Community Benefit Packages. The packages offer payments up to 2 million dollars to be dispersed to these communities over a 20-year period. These Community Benefit Packages are in exchange for the commitment that these local government officials would refrain from making any negative comments or . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind and the stress on commercial fishermen
Congressional Republicans are sounding the Mayday alarm this weekend to the grave challenges commercial fishermen face resulting from the Biden administration’s offshore wind agenda. Offshore wind development is placing enormous stress on the American commercial fishing fleet, which may not survive these challenges. A trio of coastal lawmakers, Reps. Andy. Harris (R-Md.), Chris Smith (R.-N.J.), and Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) will explore offshore wind farm interactions at an upcoming hearing, which their colleagues and the public should heed. President Joe . . . Complete story »
Orsted withdraws from contract for Maryland offshore wind farm
Orsted A/S withdrew from an agreement with regulators in the US state of Maryland to sell electricity from a big offshore wind farm it’s planning to build in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s the latest step for the Danish firm to reconfigure its portfolio of American projects after soaring costs forced it to take billions of dollars of write downs last year. Orsted’s executives plan to update investors on Feb. 7 on how they will reset the company after the setbacks. . . . Complete story »
Is offshore wind in Maryland, Delaware in peril after New Jersey troubles?
Following Tuesday’s announcement Ørsted was pulling out of a billion-dollar New Jersey-based offshore wind project, speculation has increased about the future of Eastern Shore turbine construction. What happened with wind projects in New Jersey? In a statement this week, the company said it will cease development of the Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects for supply chain issues, which were supposed to be built off the coast of Atlantic City. The developments were regarded as New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s . . . Complete story »
State governors seeking federal help for offshore wind industry
A group of U.S. governors is calling on the Biden administration to help ease the “extraordinary economic challenges” that have combined to threaten not only future offshore wind development, but also the number of projects that are already under way. In a letter submitted to the White House, the governors of Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island say “inflationary pressures, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the lingering supply-chain disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic” have resulted . . . Complete story »
