from patch.com, 2/10/12: The campaign for offshore wind and CCIHC are featured in this patch.com article. Be sure to read the comments and consider adding your own. from the Baltimore Sun, 2/3/2012 U.S. gives green light to offshore wind farmsNo Major impact found in plans for turbines off Mid-Atlantic coast According to a Baltimore Sun article, federal officials say they find that "no significant impact to the environment, shipping or other activities would result from letting developers start studies and plans for harnessing ocean winds from New Jersey to Virginia." This means that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management can start soliciting bids for leasing up to 80,000 acres off of Maryland, the article says. Part of making offshore wind a viable investment for developers is ensuring buyers of the energy. The article mentions that Governor O'Malley "said he hopes the federal government might join with the states in pledging to buy power from offshore wind farms, which would help developers secure the financing needed to go forward." The article also says the "area off Maryland's coast [for offshore wind generators] would stretch from 10 nautical miles off Ocean City to 27 nautical miles out to sea. A nautical mile is about 6,076 feet compared with a mile on land of 5,280 feet." It says this area "is less than half what had originally been proposed; it was limited to avoid conflicts with shipping entering and leaving Delaware Bay. " O'Malley's legislation: Jan.23, 2012: Articles in the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post outline Gov. Martin O'Malley's approach to offshore wind legislation this year. According to the Baltimore Sun: "Gone from this bill will be any charges to consumers before power from the envisioned wind farm — to be situated 10 miles off the Ocean City coast — actually begins to turn on the lights. " According the W. Post article: "to ensure that developers can turn a profit, the state’s Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, would set up a kind of commodities market. The electricity created from offshore wind would be sold at competitive prices. But the energy would also come with renewable-energy credits. The credits are needed by the state’s power generators to meet Maryland guidelines requiring them to obtain a growing share of their power from wind, solar and other renewable sources. The price of the credits would fluctuate in tandem with market rates to ensure that offshore wind producers can continuously count on a stable profit." The cost would be built into customers' monthly bills, but O'Malley's bill would include a cap of $2 a month. Survey shows two-thirds of voters favor offshore wind: |
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MD offshore wind campaign 2012 |