A rendering of what an array of wind turbines off the Atlantic Coast might look like in the late afternoon as seen from Ocean City.
Sometimes, even David needs a public relations firm in his corner to take on Goliath.
In the face of what they described as an apathetic response to Worcester County’s offshore wind concerns, the county’s Board of Commissioners on Dec. 17 voted unanimously to contract with Bedrock Advocacy Communications, a public relations firm based in Virginia.
The agency will help with grassroots mobilization, strategic communications, and online engagement for a 2025 campaign to oppose ongoing wind farm development off the Atlantic Coast, according to Worcester County Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young.
Young said when it comes to protesting the planned 114-turbine wind farm by developer US Wind, there have been a lot of grassroots efforts, but none that were coordinated. He said Bedrock will serve as the campaign developer and manager, working collaboratively with representatives from Worcester County, Ocean City, and the local business community.
“By the county taking the lead on this, we are trying to bring a larger coordination to the process,” Young said in an interview. “The goal is, how do we get everybody else to understand it? How do you win in the court of public opinion? Or if there’s a very critical vote going on, how do you get mobilized to stop it?”
Hiring a PR team goes “hand-in-hand” with other efforts to fight US Wind’s plans, Young said, including the Town of Ocean City’s lawsuit against the federal government seeking to block the project.
That will definitely affect tourism! I sincerely hope they will win their case. If not for the resort communities, but for the wildlife that will be affected by this. Pure evil!