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(WATCH) Maryland Green
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Last December, with a month left in office, the Biden administration approved its eleventh commercial-scale offshore wind energy project. That’s despite technical problems and big financial hurdles for many projects already started. Now, the Trump administration has not only stopped new leases, but it’s promising to review those already granted. Full Measure correspondent Mikenzie Frost has been to Maryland, the democrat-run state that’s doubling down on its offshore wind plans, despite all the problems and significant local opposition.
The following is a transcript of a report from “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson.”
Watch the video by clicking the link at the end of the page.
As Ocean City emerges from a blustery winter, Maryland’s biggest beach town prepares to welcome an expected 8 million visitors.
Who’ll generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the state economy.
But the prospect of one new business on this horizon is sparking spirited opposition.
Kevin Gibbs has been here all his life, he and his family own three restaurants and a hotel.
Kevin Gibbs: Ocean City is beach, boardwalk, fun, sun.
Buthe says, the beach town is turning up the heat, as debate continues over Maryland’s controversial plans for a giant offshore wind farm, with up to 114, 900-foot turbines positioned just 11 miles offshore.
Mikenzie: Do you believe or do you feel like you were lied to in the process of this?
Gibbs: Lied is strong, but yeah. It was 22 miles offshore, 30 miles offshore. Don’t worry about it, you won’t see it. The funniest thing was always, “hold your thumb up, it’s only going to be the size of your nail.” And then before you knew it, they were 11 miles offshore.
People here say they support green initiatives, they want to help the environment. This city thrives on the outdoors. But the plan that they say they were sold on this offshore wind, is not the one they are getting now.
Now President Trump is blowing new wind in the sails of wind farm opponents.
In January, he signed an executive order halting new offshore wind permits, and ordering a review of current projects, like the one in Maryland.
Andy Harris is the state’s only Republican congressman he’s against Maryland’s offshore wind plan.
Mikenzie: You said you looked forward to working with incoming President Trump to end all offshore wind development in the future. Have you had any conversations with the president about that, now that he’s in office?
Rep. Andy Harris: We’ve had conversations with his staff, and with his team. There’s no question about it, he thinks that offshore wind is a waste of money.
Mikenzie: Do you believe that it is the Republican’s plan and goal to end offshore wind development, not only in Maryland but in the country?
Rep. Harris:The fact of the matter is we can’t afford an energy production methodology that costs four times as much as natural gas energy development.
As reality has kicked in, enthusiasm over wind is dying down. At least ten offshore wind projects in the US have been cancelled or stalled in recent years, hit by soaring costs, supply chain issues, and state regulations.
And projects already built have suffered failures. Last summer a turbine blade shattered off the Massachusetts coast, closing some beaches.
Gibbs: They had weeks of cleaning up Styrofoam and pieces of plastic and fiberglass and pieces of that wind turbine on blade from that beach. It was a major impact on the economy.
And in early march of this year, lightning zapped the same troubled turbine.
But despite turbulence in the industry, Maryland is pursuing an aggressive renewable energy plan. Governor Wes Moore promising to accelerate the state’s move away from fossil fuels.
CT Wilson, a Democrat state delegate, is a big supporter of the plans.
CT Wilson: We need to do something now because we are a net importer of energy and we can change that, it’s time to start putting our mind towards renewables.
Mikenzie: A lot of people in the region where this would be built don’t want this.
CT Wilson: Nobody ever seems to want anything in their backyard. They want the energy from it and the benefit, but they don’t want it in their backyard. So we are working with that right now.
Through subsidies and investments Maryland has already committed roughly $350 million to wind energy in the last few years, but now facing budget problems, there are questions about what pledges the state’s leaders might have to scale back.
In Ocean City, leaders hope the tide has turned on offshore wind.
Mayor Rick Meehan is against the wind farm, he thinks Trump’s review of existing projects could mean this one gets stopped.
Rick Meehan: We’re cautiously optimistic that the review process will reveal the concerns that we have expressed throughout the last almost eight years now. And so we think the momentum is actually shifting.
Mikenzie: Who’s been ignoring what you’ve had to say about this?
Rick Meehan: The state, the Public Service Commission, the governor
Meehan says at least one project contractor has been generating offers to Ocean City and other beach towns. This email from US Wind outlines what the company calls an offer of a ‘community benefits agreement’ of unspecified benefits to not oppose the project.
Rick Meehan: My response was very direct: it was, Ocean City is not for sale.
Ocean City is among those suing and hoping to force a change in direction. For now, the state continues to put momentum and taxpayer money behind wind, despite the turbulence.
Watch video here.
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