Developer of offshore wind farm reaches agreement with Maryland DNR, DNREC
Watermen in Worcester County say they don’t want a penny out of a proposed $20 million relief package from an offshore wind farm developer.
“The (Department of Natural Resources) asked us for input, and we’re not negotiating our livelihood. That’s our life. We’re not going to make an agreement to put ourselves out of business,” said Jeanene Gwin, vice president of the Waterman’s Association of Worcester County.
Watermen are rejecting the agreement inked last week between offshore wind developer US Wind and environmental officials in Maryland and Delaware, one that aims to compensate the fishing community for negative effects of a proposed wind farm to be located about 11 miles off Ocean City’s shoreline.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between US Wind, Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, as well as Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, was finalized March 13. Maryland officials said it took a year to piece together the agreement.
According to the agreement, which is a public document, US Wind promises to create a $20 million relief fund for fishermen whose businesses would be harmed not only by the 114-turbine wind farm, but also the accompanying operations and maintenance facility to be built in the West Ocean City commercial fishing harbor.
Millions would be set aside incrementally for each years-long phase of the project – construction, operations, and eventual decommissioning. The dollar amount goes “above and beyond what is required by” federal agencies, US Wind said in a May 14 statement.
“This proposal – one of the biggest investments in commercial fishing in the region – demonstrates our commitment to the fishing industry and the local community in which we’ll operate,” said US Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski.
$20 million is a drop in the bucket this green company is receiving in grants and subsidies from the US Govt.
Typical maryland commie BS, no free market to drive anything just more taxes sucking wasteful projects from those stupid sell outs in Annapolis.
Annapolis is a communist dictatorship, no free markets allowed!@
if so our taxes would be allot lower
And this project would be scrapped..another democrat SCAM THEFT
Best advice move out of MD as taxes will only get worse..
these democrats drive everything to fecal rivers of waste & high taxes. NOTHING FOR WORKING CLASS!!!