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Offshore Wind: Prospects, Benefits Look Good
The project would create Maryland jobs, improve health, benefit the climate and more.
Last month Governor Martin O’Malley and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar together noted that the federal government announced that wind energy projects off the Mid-Atlantic coast would cause “no significant environmental damage.”
According to The Washington Post this finding removes “one of several expected regulatory hurdles to wind farm construction sought by O’Malley and governors in other East Coast states.”
O’Malley explained that the development would aid efforts in Maryland and elsewhere to make offshore wind a reality.
This is a big deal for a number of reasons.
Currently, more than half of Maryland electricity comes from coal-fired plants, as noted by the Marylanders for Offshore Wind Coalition in their recently released video.
Malcolm Woolf of the Maryland Energy Administration explains that “Maryland had some aggressive environmental goals, including a 20 percent renewable portfolio and a 25 percent greenhouse gas reduction goal. Offshore wind is Maryland’s most plentiful renewable energy resource," he said.
"If we tap offshore wind resources…we can achieve those goals. If we turn our back on that resource there is no way we are going to be able to do it using Maryland-based generation.”
No offshore wind farms have been built in the U.S. yet, although a few are in the planning stages. In 2010 Salazar approved the first U.S. offshore wind farm, and it is currently being planned for the waters off of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
O’Malley said wants Maryland to be among the first states to actually move an offshore wind project forward.
“We now know which areas off of Maryland are going to be available for lease in a relatively short period of time,” O’Malley said. The allowable zone is about 11 miles off the coast of Ocean City.
O’Malley and action groups such as the Marylanders for Offshore Wind Coalition want to push Maryland’s General Assembly to approve the plan this year to subsidize development of offshore wind. The Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act (SB 237/HB 441) has been set forth before the 2012 General Assembly.
The Marylanders for Offshore Wind Coalition’s video and supporters feature leaders from a variety of fields, including Maryland Senate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola, describing the health and economic benefits the development of offshore wind off Maryland’s Eastern Shore will have.
So what does this proposed Act mean for Marylanders, and why is Offshore Wind garnering so much attention and support?
There are many reasons, chief among them that the construction of wind turbines off the coast of Maryland will lead to job creation within the state. It should also stabilize energy prices over the long term.
In addition, it will improve health. Dr. Cindy Parker of Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility notes that Maryland has the 4th highest child asthma rate in the country, and that “coal-powered plants cause preventable asthma attacks.”
It will stabilize our grocery prices. As explained in the video by by MOMs Organic Market, when a grocery store can lock in stable electricity prices they can keep their food costs for the consumer lower.
It will benefit the environment. One offshore wind farm could cut global warming pollution by more than half a million tons every year.
Ruth Alice White of the Climate Change Initiative of Howard County remarked that “We love [the Offshore Wind Coalition] video because it succinctly tells the story of why Marylanders can benefit from investing in Offshore Wind. We advocate moving toward renewable energy in general, and off fossils fuels which are causing climate change/climate chaos.
"All fossil fuels are very finite resources," she added. "Maryland needs to start developing this industry. The rest of the world is ahead of us here. Europe has been using Offshore Wind for 20 years. China is developing it…if [Maryland is] a U.S. leader, Maryland Offshore Wind businesses could help supply other east coast states.
"This is a win-win for the environment and for Maryland jobs!”
CCIHC is a local organization that educates the public on issues related to climate change and sustainability. They help people understand the urgency of climate change and why developing renewable energy sources like Offshore Wind is so crucial.
The Marylanders for Offshore Wind Coalition members include: National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Interfaith Power & Light, Maryland League of Conservation Voters, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, League of Women Voters of Maryland, Clean Water Action, Environment Maryland, and the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland.
Thanks. We'll email you the next time we update this story.
George Spencer
7:17 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Offshore Wind: Prospects, Benefits Look Good
~From a letter MD Taxpayer to MD deligates ~
~ As a Legislator please look at and adjust priorities and internal budget allocations
~ MD 5th highest taxes in the US~ Maryland business and citizens pay over all the 5th highest taxes in the US and we’re among the smallest states in square miles. There should be plenty of revenues.
~ What about floating a bond to fund these projects. Encourage Marylanders to invest and with incentive of a tax advantage interest paying public municipal. O’Malley calls transportation infrastructure improvement an “investment” ~ then lets make it a true definition of the word investment.
Chuck Burton
11:34 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Other than setting environmental standards and issuing licenses, the state of Maryland should not be involved in any financing of offshore projects. They should succeed or fail on their own merits.
mel
4:40 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Somewhere it was forgotten that the citizens of maryland ae going to subsidize this venture by being accessed a fee on your BGE bill. Aren't these the same clowns that thought deregulation would lower energy bills and add competition? When government gets involved it cost us all money
David J Iacono
6:38 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Actually, the more wind power that is developed, the cheaper it becomes while fossil fuels become more expensive as this finite resource is depleted. Wind is an unlimited resource, fossil fuels are not. Only narrow minded, stupid or 12th century thinkers people can't see the obvious. Wind and solar power are great investments for the future just like oil was a great investment at the beginning of the 20th century.
H.R. Pufnstuf
8:25 am on Sunday, February 12, 2012
While it's obviously true that oil is a finite resource, we are nowhere close to running out of it. Furthermore, if wind and solar power are such great investments, why do they need so much government subsidy? I don't believe that oil was subsidized in the beginning of the 20th century. Is this country so full of losers now that we think nothing can be done without the help of government? David, are you personally investing in wind and solar? Or do you only want to "invest" other people's money?
MTH
7:24 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012
These people are morons! DRILL!!!!!!
mel
5:50 am on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Hey Dave, then you should be contributing more to a venture that will never replace fossil fuel and will cost us all more money. The wind farm our beloved leader is talking about is going to be located off shore. How much is it going to cost to bring the power off the coast to the citizens of Maryland. Oh I forgot, it is stuopid 12th century thinkers who don;t worry about you feel good modern citizens. It is a lose proposition and if it was profitable, Major companies without the governmment subsidizing it would be on board. Maybe the CEO of these companies are in the 12th century also? Dave, I think you should stop using electricity until wind and solar are cost effective.
H.R. Pufnstuf
8:34 am on Sunday, February 12, 2012
If you forward to the 2:30 point in the video, it clearly states that wind energy will cost more. Maryland's "leaders" want us to pay more the same thing, and subsidize the companies who provide this higher priced good. Wow.
Buck Harmon
10:08 am on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Government creates control monopolies... the technology is new and effective... gov. needs control.... business as usual.
Passive technologies are the solution...
Chuck Burton
10:09 am on Sunday, February 12, 2012
If wind costs very much more, companies will not go for it without subsidies, and I say no subsidies!
esh
10:00 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
But the oil industry receives more than $20 billion each year in subsidies (tax breaks) and has received government support since the industry's infancy. Wind and other renewables are in their infancy in this country...we have to move there at some point, so some subsidies will probably be required. We also pay a lot of hidden costs with oil and gas -- health care costs from lung diseases, for starters. If those hidden costs were included in the costs of fuel for cars, for example, the price would be as much as $15. http://www.progress.org/2003/energy22.htm
George Spencer
11:07 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Hoffman has good points ~ but would more helpful if efficienty of this technology was ready. We do not want dump in all the $'s to build a YUGO for the sake of saying we have wind power and then rebuild it again.
European concerns about their wind power. Check out the URL ~ http://www.clingendael.nl/publications/2011/20111200_ciep_study_wind_gas.pdf
My thoughts~
~The technology is not ready yet ~ If there is profit to be made, the private sector would jump on this in a flash, providing financing thru venture capitalists, and companies in the technology like GE etc.. and of course accept Gov't Tax payer subsidies
~ If there is profit to be made there will be an industrial renaissance much like when the Carnegies and others jumped in to the steel making business over 100 years ago. History tells us, they created so many jobs that we did not have enough workers and many of our great-grand parents answered the call and immigrated to the US to fill the void.
Now that’s Job creation.
Chuck Burton
10:12 am on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Natural gas is currently so low in cost that coal powered gererating plants are being converted to gas, and wind can not compete at present.
Buck Harmon
9:58 am on Monday, February 13, 2012
Fracking is very dangerous.
George Spencer
11:15 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Hoffman has good points ~ but would more helpful if efficienty of this technology was ready. We do not want dump in all the $'s to build a YUGO for the sake of saying we have wind power and then rebuild it again.
According to reports (see Below) you are also correct. Gas is less costly and in Europe they have found it out performs windpower on a cost base to lessen impact on the environment.
European concerns about their wind power. Check out the URL ~ http://www.clingendael.nl/publications/2011/20111200_ciep_study_wind_gas.pdf
My thoughts~
~The technology is not ready yet ~ If there is profit to be made, the private sector would jump on this in a flash, providing financing thru venture capitalists, and companies in the technology like GE etc.. and of course accept Gov't Tax payer subsidies
~ If there is profit to be made there will be an industrial renaissance much like when the Carnegies and others jumped in to the steel making business over 100 years ago. History tells us, they created so many jobs that we did not have enough workers and many of our great-grand parents answered the call and immigrated to the US to fill the void.
Now that’s Job creation.
Lorna D. Rudnikas
1:48 pm on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Ahhh, yes....no "significant" damage. Where have I heard that before? Oh well I recommend that we not repeat ourselves by accepting "CHANGE" without insisting WHAT KIND OF CHANGE AND...perhaps we should ask why, where, how, when and what are the significant plus changes coming our way and how far down the road and what is the cost to our citizens over the next ten years???? And, what is the winning competition factor with natural gas? And, and, who are companies that will benefit by this investment....cost factor to us, to them....the bigger picture please...and so Mr. Garagiola, please don't leave out any details no matter how small they may appear at the moment.
Phil
10:49 am on Monday, February 13, 2012
"Windfarms" are already the dinosaurs of power production. The largest one on a windy point in Hawaii has been abandoned since it did not work. There are nationwide over 14 thousand useless "windmills". Prior to being sold a bill of goods by those who would profit by taxpayer subsidies the powers in Annapolis better do some real research.
To top it off wind supplied power cost 3 times more then anything else available.
When windpower is practical private companies will back it. The offshore farm will end u a payoff to certain political groups. Does "Solyndra" ring a bell!?
George Spencer
3:25 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
Phil you so right on ~ I don't know what you do~ but I am just a regular person and seem to know more than our leaders and that is scary ~ My thoughts and european concerns about their wind power. Check out the URL ~ http://www.clingendael.nl/publications/2011/20111200_ciep_study_wind_gas.pdf
~The technology is not ready yet ~ If there is profit to be made, the private sector would jump on this in a flash, providing financing thru venture capitalists, and companies in the technology like GE etc..
~ If there is profit to be made there will be an industrial renaissance much like when the Carnegies and others jumped in to the steel making business over 100 years ago. History tells us, they created so many jobs that we did not have enough workers and many of our great-grand parents answered the call and immigrated to the US to fill the void. Now that’s Job creation.
Chuck Burton
11:01 am on Monday, February 13, 2012
Yes, fracking does polute the underground water, though techniques have and are being adopted to reduce such polution. There is also a method using petroleum fractions which causes little more polution than that caused by the existing natural gas. More work needs to be done on this.
Buck Harmon
5:19 pm on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Petroleum fractions are the same as current fracking techniques... using a different chemical cocktail to fracture the earth. Nothing at all natural or safe about this new illusion.
The perceived green revolution... as it relates to government, is a scam that promotes the use of petro chemical products by way of perceived tax incentives.
The use of foams for insulation is the largest and most deceptive promotion to date.
The sun and wind are ready to go to work for us just as soon as the greed driven petro chemical folks that own elected officials get out of the way.
If the money wasted on developing techniques that destroy the earth were re-directed to the sun ten years ago, our nation would be far better off regarding energy today.
Time to pull our heads out of the sand and look to the sky.. it's happening.
Lawrence Tierney
12:58 pm on Saturday, February 18, 2012
We can save huge amounts of money by eliminating subsidies to the fossil fuel industries. Wind is a relatively new technology which needs some help to get started, but once we start receiving clean energy from our offshore resources, our health will improve, electric bills will be less dependent on fluctuating fuel costs, we will pay much less to energy suppliers outside of Maryland, and we will have more clean energy jobs in our state. Unlike fossil fuels, wind energy is not running out. It will be here forever.
karl schlenker
2:51 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC4lJB-IaAg
karl schlenker
2:55 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Liberals are delusional!