Issues directly affecting our Group
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Biden Administration Approves Tenth Offshore Wind Project Off Coast of Maryland
Contact
Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
Christine Ho, christine.ho@sierraclub.org
Maryland – Today, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a Record of Decision on US Wind’s Construction and Operations Plan for an offshore wind project in Maryland, marking the Biden administration’s final approval for this project. This is the nation’s tenth approved offshore wind project.
The approved proposal by US Wind is projected to generate up to 2,200 megawatts of electricity—enough to power up to 770,000 homes in Maryland with clean, renewable energy. The project, which consists of three phases, is expected to create nearly 3,000 stable, union jobs in the region. Once completed, this project will bring the state of Maryland closer to its goal of capturing 8.5 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from offshore wind by 2031. Nationally, this approval moves the US halfway towards the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030.
“US Wind’s offshore wind project in Maryland will lower electricity costs for hard working residents, improve health outcomes within the region, and boost the local economy by creating thousands of jobs. Today’s announcement reaffirms the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to renewable energy; we are transitioning away from harmful fossil fuels and towards a cleaner, healthier future,” said Sierra Club’s Senior Advisor for Offshore Wind Nancy Pyne.
“Offshore wind energy is a critical resource that will help Maryland reach the ambitious climate goals set in the Climate Pollution Reduction Plan,” said Josh Tulkin, Maryland Sierra Club Chapter Director. “By moving away from reliance on dirty fossil fuel energy and building renewable energy, Marylanders will be able to breathe cleaner air and benefit from new clean energy jobs.”
“Coastal communities will be one of the first to bear the burdens of climate change,” said Christina Hulslander, Chair of the Lower Eastern Shore Group of the Maryland Sierra Club. “Rising sea levels continue to be a constant threat, and we must do everything in our power to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in our atmosphere. Moving towards clean energy sources and implementing energy efficiency measures are crucial solutions.”
Advocating for the Bottle Bill
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Roughly 5.2 billion beverage containers are sold in Maryland every year. Only about a quarter of these are captured for recycling, which means four billion wind up in landfills, incinerators, or--even worse--on roadsides and waterways. It doesn't have to be this way. Beverage container deposit programs, or "bottle bills," are a proven policy for recovering used containers and reducing litter. For more information about the effectiveness of bottle bills in general and how such a bill would benefit Maryland, click here. |
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The Lower Eastern Shore Group has been advocating for passage of a bottle bill over numerous Maryland legislative sessions. We keep getting closer, and maybe 2025 will be the magic year. Meanwhile, two members of the group's Executive Committee--Jacky Grindrod and Cindy Dillon--urged the Berlin, Maryland Town Council in their July 22 meeting to advocate for passage of the bill when the next legislative session starts in January. Click here to read the OC Times article about their presentation.
Zero Waste: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot.
Take action with new ideas to deal with “trash," beyond recycling
The LES Zero Waste Team meets on the second Wednesday of each month via zoom. Please join us in discussing projects to move our counties towards the goal of zero waste, such as supporting legislation to decrease plastic pollution; promoting Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle; helping to educate our communities about ways they can help; and many other possibilities.
Composting
View 47ABC coverage of press conference on 3/15/22
Compost impacts more than you think
View how Go Green OC is composting food waste from Ocean City restaurants
How to compost (PBS>ORG)
Beginner's DIY Guide To Making Organic Compost at Home
Decreasing Single Use Plastics
A big win! Our consultation with the Salisbury Green Team in crafting Ordinance 2756, Ord2756.pdf (salisbury.md) was successful. It was passed by the City Council 11/28/22, will go into effect 6/30/23 and will prohibit Salisbury retailers from providing plastic carryout bags at point of sale.
A Fish Tale by Kris Phebus ( A four minute video on plastic pollution and fish)
View the 2/10/22 Panel discussion: Plastic Pollution and Solutions on Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore
MD Foam Ban
51 Ways you can reduce your personal plastics use
Ten simple tips for more plastic-free and Earth-friendly holiday gifting
Shoppers Survey Findings
Members of the Lower Eastern Shore Sierra Club and the Surfrider Foundation, recently conducted an observatiional survey of the types of bags used by shoppers exiting 15 chain stores in our four counties (see details Here).
The prevalence of the single-use plastic bags was obvious and alarming.
Share these results freely. Use them as evidence of the plastic pollution problem we're facing.
Reducing Dirty Fuels Usage
Stopping the Del-Mar Pipeline
June 30, 2020 Eastern Shore Pipeline Press Release
Why the Eastern Shore Pipelines are Bad Investments for Maryland
Off Shore Wind - Maryland
Offshore Wind: The Challenges, the Research, the Reality
Biden's Plan
"Facts" Wrong on Wind - Letter to Editor - Ocean City