“We need to keep the pressure on and attend the January 7^th US Wind public hearing”  

Ocean City, MD – Senator Mary Beth Carozza (R-District 38), who has been a strong opponent of the proposed offshore wind energy projects off Maryland’s Coast since 2017, commended local officials for the significant actions taken in Worcester County, Maryland and Sussex County, Delaware in opposition to the development of offshore wind energy projects, and called for keeping the pressure on as opposition to offshore wind energy development continues to build across the region and the State of Maryland.  

“We have built a strong coalition made up of municipal, county, state, and federal officials and our business community in opposing the industrialization of our ocean and in protecting our Shore Way of Life,” said Senator Carozza, who represents Maryland’s Coast and all of Worcester County. “I commend the Worcester County Commissioners for taking bold and significant action to protect the West Ocean City Harbor and commercial fishing industry, and I thank officials from neighboring Sussex County for their vote to deny a permit that would have allowed US Wind to build a major electrical substation.” 

“We need to keep the pressure on in our efforts to oppose the development of offshore wind energy production, and I encourage my constituents and the mounting opposition to show up at the January 7^th public hearing on US Wind’s air quality permit application to be held at the Ocean City Convention Center,” said Senator Carozza, who is a member of the Senate committee with oversight of energy policy issues. “We need to have a major presence of opposition at every juncture in the process.” 

The Worcester County Commissioners on December 17 unanimously approved a resolution to use eminent domain to purchase two properties located in the West Ocean City Harbor with the goal of protecting the county’s historic commercial and sportfishing industries. Additionally, the Sussex County Council denied a conditional use permit that would have allowed a subsidiary of US Wind to build a major electrical substation near the Indian River Power Plant to connect to the transmission lines from the Maryland turbines.

Since attending the first public meeting held by the Maryland Public Service Commission in 2017 on the development of 121 offshore wind turbines off Ocean City, Senator Carozza has worked with local, state, and federal officials in opposing wind energy industrialization off Maryland’s Coast while the foreign-based developers have altered the original plans to the point that the turbines are almost 1000 feet in height, stronger in power, and less than 10 miles from Ocean City’s beach. Each turbine has three rotating blades of around 410 feet in length, almost one and a half times longer than a football field.

“Our combined efforts in opposing offshore wind energy production off Maryland’s Coast has resulted in these two significant local actions to stop the development of these offshore wind turbines,” said Senator Carozza. “With this recent action, both the Worcester County Commissioners and the Sussex County Council voted to protect the interests of our constituents and the whole Delmarva Peninsula.”

The two properties the Worcester County Commissioners resolved to purchase are the only two local commercial seafood locations where watermen can offload their catches. US Wind’s plans for the site would displace these current seafood offload locations with an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Facility that would support their as-of-yet-unconstructed 121 wind energy turbines off Maryland’s Coast. Conversely, the County plans for the two properties include developing a long-term lease with the existing local owners to allow them to continue to serve the needs of the commercial fishing industry. 

“US Wind’s proposed O&M Facility is just one of the many negative consequences of constructing 121 wind energy turbines off Ocean City that jeopardize our Shore Way of Life,” said Carozza. “It would permanently damage our local commercial fishing industry harming our fishing families who have lived and worked here for generations and also damage marine life.”

On November 20^th, Senator Carozza joined with Delegates Chris Adams and Wayne Hartman, the Town of Ocean City, Worcester County Commissioners, local watermen, their families, other constituents, and Marylanders across the State to urge the Board of Public Works to postpone or deny US Wind’s Tidal Wetlands License Application to build a large pier and bulkhead structure for US Wind’s O&M Facility. Despite vocal opposition, the Board of Public Works approved US Wind’s license application.

“I am proud of our united community effort to protect our historic and iconic Ocean City Harbor and to protect the interests of the Shore,” said Carozza. “We will continue to oppose any efforts by US Wind that would harm Maryland’s Coast and its marine environment.”

Most recently, US Wind applied for an air quality permit-to-construct application through the Maryland Department of the Environment, consisting of an application for a New Source Review Approval and an application for a Prevention of Significant Deterioration Approval. A public hearing is scheduled for January 7, 2025 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 p.m. at the Ocean City Convention Center.