According to Chesapeake Climate Action Network, “Maryland, with over 3,100 miles of coastline, is the third most vulnerable state to sea level rise — after Louisiana and Florida. With just a small rise in sea level, Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay culture and much of the Eastern Shore will be dramatically impacted.”
Our state government now has a golden opportunity to hasten the development of clean, renewable energy by backing the construction of wind farms off our coastline. Gov. Martin O’Malley has commendably backed the development of wind power in Maryland by organizing this week a major conference on the topic in Baltimore.
Wind farm development would bring thousands of new green-energy jobs and economic development to Maryland. According to the Maryland Energy Administration, wind farms could expand the state’s economy by $1.9 billion over a five-year horizon and generate some $14 million in new state revenue.
The state of Rhode Island already has set a precedent for Maryland by sponsoring a project by Deepwater Wind that would place some 200 wind turbines in the waters between Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard. Deepwater said that the turbines would be “barely visible” from land.
The bad news is that right now energy produced by wind turbines costs more than energy produced by polluting fossil fuels. The good news is that the residents of Maryland are willing to pay a price for the production of clean, renewal energy.
According to a recent survey conducted by Gonzales Research and Marketing Strategies, 62 percent of Maryland respondents said that they would be willing to pay $2 more per month for electric power generated from "clean, local" wind turbines rather than from coal, oil and gas. Support for this proposition hit 67 percent in the Washington suburbs and a surprising 55 percent in the usually conservative communities of the Eastern Shore and southern Maryland.
Another recent survey conducted by Frederick Poll for the Atlantic Wind Connection found that 74 percent of respondents wanted state officials to back wind-farm development off the coast of Maryland, even if it means higher energy prices.
At the opening of the wind power conference, Gov. O’Malley said, “Our greatest challenges are not primarily financial, nor are they technical. Our greatest challenges are political.” Unfortunately, the Maryland General Assembly, dominated by members of O’Malley’s Democratic Party, has fumbled the ball by tabling for further study legislation proposed by the governor to facilitate the development of offshore wind power.
The time for study and delay has long since passed. The General Assembly should enact O’Malley’s proposal at next year’s session. Our environment and our people deserve no less. Ever year lost hurts our environment and contributes to the global warming that threatens our survival on this planet.
Allan Lichtman is a professor of history at American University and a national political analyst. His email address is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .