OCEAN CITY, Md. -- On Monday morning, the US Department of the Interior unveiled two newly proposed lease areas, signaling a continued federal effort to expand offshore wind initiatives. The move has the potential to pave the way for additional offshore wind farms off the coast of Delmarva.
While these projects would be a ways down the road, concerns have surfaced among residents and officials of Maryland and Delaware, who argue that numerous questions remain unanswered regarding existing and ongoing offshore wind projects. The prospect of new initiatives adds another layer of apprehension for those already skeptical of the current developments.
For the past seven years, officials in Ocean City have expressed discontent with offshore wind projects, particularly in relation to the proximity of turbines to the coastline. Rick Meehan, mayor of Ocean City, emphasized the multifaceted impact his town believes could happen with ongoing projects.
"How it effects the economy, how it effects the recreational fisherman, how it effects the commercial fisherman, how it effects the viewshed," said Meehan.
Fenwick Island's Mayor, Natalie Magdeburger, echoed these concerns, asserting the town's opposition to new leases in a statement to WBOC:
"Fenwick Island is opposed to new leases being considered for offshore wind farms while there still remains serious questions about the negative impact any such project will have on our environment, economic vitality and overall public safety. Those issues should be fully investigated in an unbiased manner and transparently discussed before any new leases are considered. While Fenwick supports the exploration of green energy alternatives, before we move forward with any plan, we should be certain that plan does not create a greater ecological disaster, put our citizenry at risk or kills off our marine life. There are too many questions left unanswered by the current proposed projects and the questions need to be fully and transparently addressed before considered additional leases. Careful, thorough and unbiased scientific, economic and defense oriented studies need to be completed before we subject ourselves to being the last generation to witness a natural sunrise from our shores. There is just too much at stake to move forward without securing irrefutable answers to those real and valid questions."
The released map indicates the two existing wind lease areas with ongoing projects. The area highlighted in orange is positioned approximately 26.4 nautical miles off the coast. Another proposed area lies south of Maryland, off the coast of Virginia, indicated by the arrow on the graphic attached to this article. The new areas have prompted worries from commercial fishermen like Sonny Gwin.
"That's taking up a lot of space in the ocean and that's going to displace a lot of commercial fishermen and recreational fishermen and [the]shipping industry," said Gwin.
However, not everyone perceives the expansion of offshore wind as detrimental. Salisbury University student Paul Haddad, who closely follows the developments, sees wind turbines as a step toward clean energy and job creation in the renewable sector.
"I do see as well these projects as providing a lot of job opportunities for people interested in getting involved with renewables from many different aspects," said Haddad.
The unveiling of these proposed lease areas rekindles a longstanding debate that has persisted for almost a decade on Delmarva.
Federal officials will be accepting public comments on the proposed lease areas, a crucial step in determining whether one or both areas should be put up for sale next year.
