Network of local businesses, organizations pledge support for wind turbines off Maryland coast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Jamie Nolan, Chesapeake Climate Action Network 240-396-2022

Brad Heavner, Environment Maryland 410-467-0439

Alana Wase, Sierra Club Maryland 410-960-7989

Jen Brock-Cancellieri, Maryland LCV Education Fund, 410-280-9855 x 202

OCEAN CITY, Md.  —Today dozens of local citizens, business owners, and organizations came together in an historic town hall meeting in Ocean City, Maryland to learn about the state’s offshore wind power potential. 

Tom Carlson, Maryland State Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, who helped to coordinate the town hall meeting said, “Our coalition of environmental organizations unequivocally supports building offshore wind turbines off of Ocean City’s shores. We want to continue to engage the citizens of Ocean City in this process to make sure the community is involved and understands how this wind park would benefit them directly.” The other environmental organizations that helped to coordinate the meeting are the Sierra Club Maryland, Environment Maryland, and the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

The wind blowing off Maryland’s Atlantic Coast has the potential to provide the equivalent of two thirds of the state’s current electricity demand. At the town hall meeting, speakers touched on the benefits of wind power: more reliable electricity service, price stability, no greenhouse gas emissions, and the addition of thousands of green jobs to the state’s economy. The construction of an Ocean City wind park could bring hundreds of stable, well-paying jobs to the Ocean City region, where much employment is seasonal.

Andrew Gohn, Clean Energy Program Manager for the Maryland Energy Administration, spoke to Ocean City residents and business owners at the town hall meeting. “Maryland is a clean energy leader in the U.S.  We’re working actively with federal regulators to move the offshore wind permitting process forward.” Gohn said. “But we need to keep that momentum.  This is the right time to embrace the broad environmental and economic development benefits of creating an offshore wind industry here in Maryland.”

In 2004, Maryland set a Renewable Portfolio Standard, requiring the state receive 20 percent of the state’s energy from renewable sources by year 2022 and offshore wind will be critical to meeting this goal.  

Catherine McCall with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources also presented at the meeting, sharing the work the state has done to identify areas suitable for offshore wind energy projects that would have the least environmental and human use impact.  “Our Ocean is a busy place,” said McCall.  “Over the past year we reached out to our citizens to ensure that the state had the best information available to identify areas for future offshore activities, reduce conflicts, facilitate compatible uses and reduce environmental impacts to sensitive natural resources.”

For more information, call Jamie Nolan at (240) 396-2022 or email jamie@chesapeakeclimate.org.

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