Update: In July, U.S. Representative Andy Harris, who represents Ocean City, Maryland in Congress, attached an amendment to a House appropriations bill stating that if a Maryland wind project is less than 24 miles from the shore, the federal government cannot spend money to evaluate it. The proposed wind projects were set to be approximately 15 to 20 miles offshore.

In May, Maryland scored a big win for renewable energy when its public service commission approved financing for two large offshore wind projects. The commission concluded that the clean energy installations would be a net benefit to ratepayers: Though utility bills for the average consumer are predicted to rise by about $1.40 a month, the increase will be offset by the creation of almost 9,700 new in-state jobs and $74 million in tax revenues over 20 years, along with environmental and health benefits. Once the projects are complete in the early 2020s, they'll produce 368 megawatts of electricity, cutting 19,000 tons of climate-polluting gases a year.

With this decision, the state is well-positioned to become a hub for the offshore wind industry along the Eastern Seaboard. The companies building the projects must spend $76 million on steel manufacturing in Maryland and use local ports, among other requirements.  

David Smedick, a Beyond Coal representative with the Maryland Chapter, says a five-year effort by environmental organizations and the local chapter of the Wharf and Dock Builders, Piledrivers, and Divers Union laid the groundwork for the unanimous decision. "The data was there," Smedick says, "and it won everybody over."

This article appeared in the September/October 2017 edition with the headline "Maryland Has the Wind at Its Back."