Wind energy opponents rally in Ocean City, led by Andy Harris, New Jersey lawmakers

Rep. Andy Harris, R-1st-Md., doubled down on his opposition to offshore wind in the state during a hearing on the perils of its development off the coast of Maryland.

Empaneled during the Ocean City event on Saturday, Jan. 20 with Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ-04, and Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-NJ-02, were a number of experts in marine biology, offshore wind infrastructure, national security and local elected officials who provided testimony. The lack of structural soundness and impacts on marine mammals and national safety from foreign attacks were all cited as concerns for halting the slated development of offshore wind farms by both US Wind and Ørsted.

Representatives from the two offshore wind energy development companies were not present at the event.

"What it seems to me we're doing is saying we're going to beta test these offshore wind turbines for their resistance to hurricanes and impacts on noise and underwater sound here in Maryland," Harris said. "This is what bothers the Department of Defense, it's that these soundwaves can be generated by both a turbine or an (enemy) submarine. If you look at the geography, one will imagine a target would most likely come on the Atlantic Coast."

Experts testified, and Harris reiterated, that for all the data presented to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management when the companies acquired their licenses for the development, that numbers were continually changed to minimize the impact on native sea mammals and the environment.

"Throughout the course of the forum, one thing remained clear: the people of Maryland do not want offshore wind industrialization off our coast," Harris said following the event.

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Ørsted says offshore wind will create family-sustaining jobs

In a statement to DelmarvaNow, Ørsted pointed out all the necessary due diligence has been done up to this point to ensure the safety of sea life and those in the area.

“By pursuing the Moore Administration’s goal of 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2031, Maryland is positioned to substantially increase its portfolio of clean domestic energy," said Maddy Voytek, Ørsted's head of Government Affairs and Market Strategy in Maryland. "It will create thousands of family-sustaining jobs, offset millions of tons of greenhouse gases in the air we breathe, and enable a cleaner, more reliable electric grid for the region."

Voytek noted Ørsted has "a proven record of building clean, cost-effective energy projects" that create value for nature and the communities in which the company has worked.

"Our industry is subject to the most stringent level of protections for marine mammals and protected species. Ørsted-contracted vessels have not experienced any whale strikes during offshore survey activity in the U.S. Every aspect of offshore wind development is reviewed by multiple agencies and subject to protective conditions, including vessel speeds, time of year restrictions for construction activities and mandatory protected species observers," Voytek said.

US Wind says marine animals not at risk from wind projects

Nancy Sopko, US Wind's senior director of External Affairs, added they too are operating as responsible corporate citizens in their project.

"US Wind’s construction of the wind farm would not deafen marine mammals. US Wind conducted an extensive Underwater Acoustic Assessment that conservatively estimated sound levels during construction," Sopko said. "These estimates were used to support US Wind’s proposed mitigation measures like the use of layered methods to dampen sound during construction, including bubble curtains and resonators, along with protected species observers in multiple locations to watch for marine mammals and to trigger shutdown if needed."

The company also added turbines withstand the most extreme wind and wave events predicted to occur at the site over the next 50 to 100 or more years, so hurricanes are well within their ability to withstand. For example, the wind turbines under consideration for the site are “typhoon” certified and are designed to withstand speeds of up to Category 4 hurricanes.

"There is a comprehensive process in place whereby an offshore wind developer’s application is reviewed by the Department of Defense, FAA, U.S. Coast Guard, and BOEM at multiple stages of development to determine if impacts to radar would result from construction and operations. The Department of Defense reviewed our project plans twice and issued no objection, as did the FAA," Sopko said.

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Ocean City mayor: wind turbines 'a backdrop from Star Wars'

Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan categorized the proposed development off the Maryland coast as nothing short of a tourism killer for a location that brings in an estimated 8 million visitors annually.

US Wind and Ørsted currently have federal leasing agreements to operate their fleet of turbines in the ocean between 15 to 21 miles off the coast of Maryland and Delaware. The Baltimore-based US Wind is considering properties in Ocean City for the maintenance and operations of the turbines that are scheduled to be operational by 2026.

"This is the only city in the state where you can experience the sunrise over the Atlantic," Meehan said. "What is being proposed would destroy what 26,000 property owners and millions of visitors enjoy today and for future generations. Putting turbines closer than 26 nautical miles from our coast or even 10 nautical miles would destroy that. The sunrise over the Atlantic would look like a backdrop from Star Wars."

Meehan cited that his opposition to offshore wind development started seven years ago, when the proposed turbines were considerably smaller and further away.

"US Wind has yet to do an economic analysis of the impacts of this project on the economy. Why hasn't this been done? What is also being ignored is the revenue that Ocean City sends that is in the millions to the state and federal government each year. We only have one industry in Ocean City, and this will jeopardize that," Meehan said.

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Carozza: cost of wind energy projects keeps increasing

Detractors like state Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, R-Wicomico/Worcester/Somerset, have argued the cost of offshore wind has significantly risen from the originally proposed $1.4 billion project in 2017 to a projected $4 billion in 2023 due to inflation, supply chain constraints and other economic disruptions.

"I first expressed my concerns about these projects in a Maryland Public Service Commission meeting in 2017 and it was before developers expanded the number and size of the turbines," Carozza testified. "BOEM's own environmental impact statement further convinced me that the negative impacts of offshore wind development outweigh the many promised benefits of European-based offshore wind developers."

Carozza noted the report even admits "unavoidable adverse impacts including high impact hydraulic hammers pounding the sea floor during the three years of construction of these 123 structures."

The offshore wind industry's rebuttal

According to Ørsted, much of the claims made at the hearing needed clarification.

Ørsted’s site assessment process, they noted, for each project includes analysis performed by an external US hurricane specialist. The Block Island Wind Farm (off of Rhode Island) has successfully weathered several hurricanes and strong nor’easters since coming online in December 2016, and the turbines are designed to automatically shut down when wind speeds exceed 55 mph.

In terms of the economy, the company claims independent studies find that offshore wind and tourism can co-exist, and that offshore wind may increase tourist activities.

A University of Rhode Island study found that Airbnb reservations on Block Island, Rhode Island increased after the Block Island Wind Farm went into operation in 2017. A BOEM study found that the Block Island Wind Farm was “rapidly becoming a part of the seascape that many people admire,” said the University of Rhode Island, in a May 6, 2019 report entitled “URI Researchers: Offshore Wind Farm Increased Block Island Tourism."

Finally, the offshore wind developer noted, contrary to opponents’ claims, the offshore wind industry does not use seismic air guns when developing projects. Seismic air guns are used by the oil and gas industry.

Offshore wind vessels account for less than 2% of marine traffic.

Finally, equipment used during offshore wind surveys includes both acoustic equipment using varying frequencies of sound and passive sensors that do not emit sound. Multiple studies show that most frequencies emitted during this type of surveying are not detectable by marine mammals.

The Maryland House of Delegates voted on the offshore wind bill last year with over 100 votes in support.

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This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Andy Harris, Ocean City wind energy foes make their case at panel