Ocean City officials say they don't want offshore wind turbines to be built within 30 miles of the resort town's beaches under any circumstances — not even in exchange for free electricity.Maybe they'll allow a nice quiet nuke plant to be located on their sand spit?
That was among the offers energy developer U.S. Wind recently made to appease concerns that its planned wind farm off Maryland’s coast will harm tourism.
The company also dangled other community investments worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, and offered to alter its plans if Ocean City agreed to cover the costs of seeking new government approvals.
None of that was adequate to allay fears that tourists will abandon Ocean City and flock to other beaches if Maryland’s horizon is dotted with towering wind turbines, though. Town leaders rejected the offer, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said.
The 32-turbine project could be the nation’s second and largest offshore wind farm, and is part of a nearly decade-long effort to boost Maryland’s supply of renewable energy. But as the proposal advances through federal reviews, Meehan said he won’t stop fighting to push the project farther off shore and protect beach views.
Maryland is a funny state; we want clean, but mostly we don't want anything. Let the power be shipped in from Ohio, or some other place they burn coal.
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