OCEAN CITY, Md. — A delegation of Ocean City leaders traveled to Washington, D.C. on April 30 to call for a halt to federal activity that would allow construction of offshore wind farms off the Maryland coast.
Led by Mayor Rick Meehan, the group included Maryland State Senator Mary Beth Carozza, Worcester County Commissioner Joe Mitrecic, Town Manager Terry McGean, and local hotel operator Adam Showell Jr. The delegation met with U.S. Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie of Kentucky and shared their concerns about the potential impacts of offshore wind development.
Mayor Meehan outlined concerns that offshore wind farms could harm Ocean City’s tourism economy, disrupt commercial fishing, damage marine ecosystems, and interfere with marine traffic and military radar operations.
However US Wind has said the project, located in a federal lease area off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland, has the potential to generate up to 2 gigawatts of offshore wind power — enough to power more than 600,000 homes in the region, according to US Wind. The company also says the clean energy will benefit the environment and create jobs on Delmarva.
But Mayor Meehan has said a US Wind tax could cost ratepayers an additional $12.83 per month, and businesses could see their electricity supply costs increase by 25 percent. Those figures, he said, don’t include the added expenses of building battery storage and other infrastructure needed to support offshore wind power.
Proponents of offshore wind energy argue that it is a necessary step toward reducing reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change. But Maryland's delegation says this project is not the answer.
“We presented a unified front in our strong opposition to US Wind’s offshore wind energy project and to the industrialization of our ocean,” Senator Carozza said. “There are multiple negative impacts from tourism to commercial fishing to marine life, boat traffic, and military communications, plus it’s the most expensive way to generate energy. We have made a strong case for the federal government to stop US Wind’s offshore wind energy project in Maryland just as New York’s offshore wind project was halted last month.”
While in the Capitol, the delegation also met with Congressman Andy Harris, a member of the House Appropriations Committee and vocal critic of offshore wind projects. In addition to the meetings, Congressman Harris, Senator Carozza and Mayor Meehan sent letters to U.S. Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum, asking for the Trump administration to halt the Maryland offshore wind project.