About five days ago, the Maryland House of Delegates passed a key bill supporting and incentivizing the creation of approximately 40 large wind turbines off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland. The House bill passed by 88 to 47. Now this bill is in the Maryland Senate Finance Committee.
At AREVA we are strong supporters and producers of offshore wind technologies, and see its huge potential in the American marketplace as a key energy and economic solution. We think this letter to the editor at the Washington Post shows a great deal of wisdom:
There are 49 offshore wind farms in Europe, zero in America. As wind farms are built along the Atlantic coast and economies of scale prevail, the price will come down significantly. And all this will happen as climate change intensifies, pushing governments to further hasten to phase out carbon fuels. So offshore wind — Maryland’s most abundant renewable resource — is a good bet. By investing now, we dramatically increase the chance our state will be a regional manufacturing hub for turbines and supply-chain parts as other states follow our lead.
The Maryland Senate is set to adjourn for the year next Monday, so it is a crucial time to advance the bill forward this year. Quoted in today’s Washington Post, Governor O’Malley summed up the current status of the Senate Bill, “We still have some persuading to do in the Senate committee.”
You can help. Online petitions for Marylanders to suport the bill are here, and follow the topic on Twitter using the hashtag #windworksforMD.
