Next week, some of the CCAN staff is headed to Ocean City, Maryland, where we’re part of a coalition of organizations organizing a town hall meeting about efforts to harness Maryland’s offshore wind power. The winds blowing off Ocean City’s Atlantic Coast have the strength to power thousands of homes, or provide up to one third of Maryland’s current electricity needs.
Offshore wind power offers many advantages over dirty fossil fuel sources like oil and coal. Choosing to build wind farms off our shores, rather than drill for oil, alleviates the horrifying risk that Ocean City would ever suffer from an oil spill like the devastating spill in the Gulf. Currently, Maryland imports much of its electricity from dirty coal plants in surrounding states, which sometimes makes our energy supply unreliable and costs unstable. Clean, renewable wind power offers price stability because the fuel is free, and it would be more reliable because it would be harnessed locally. Also, a moderate investment in offshore wind development could provide 15,000 new jobs for Marylanders over the next 20 years. This means more stable, year-round employment opportunities for Ocean City, where many jobs leave town with the tourists at the end of the season.
At this town hall meeting, residents and business owners will listen to presentations from Dave Blazer, Maryland Project Director from NRG Bluewater Wind, the company that is proposing the Maryland wind project. Other speakers include Matthew Fleming, Program Director of the Chesapeake & Coastal Programs for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Andrew Gohn, Clean Energy Program Manager for Wind Energy with the Maryland Energy Administration. There will be a question and answer session following these short presentations.
Won’t you join us to learn more about how to help bring offshore wind to the Free State?
WHERE: St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 302 N. Baltimore Ave. Ocean City, MD
WHEN: Thursday, September 23, 2010 from 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Help make offshore wind a reality for Maryland. RSVP here if you’d like to join us!
