Future of offshore wind turbines looks bleak

Legislators are weighing in along party lines as the future of a wind project off the Maryland coast looks unlikely pending a change in federal approval needed for it to continue.

The US Wind project, which intended to build 121 wind turbine generators 12 miles off the coast near Fenwick Island, was the focus of heated debate in the Delaware Legislature last session, as the General Assembly passed along party lines Senate Bill 159 to override Sussex County’s denial of plans for a power substation near the Indian River power plant. Lines from the wind turbines were proposed to run into Delaware through the Inland Bays to proposed substations next to the power plant.

Gov. Matt Meyer signed the bill into law, but recent court documents in one of the two lawsuits filed against the project indicate federal approval will be pulled.

A court document filed Aug. 22 in U.S. District Court of Delaware states the U.S. Department of the Interior – a defendant in complaints in both Delaware and Maryland district courts – intends to move to voluntarily remand and vacate its approval of the Construction and Operations Plan for the Maryland offshore wind project.

The court approved Aug. 22 a stay in the Delaware case, pending the District of Maryland’s ruling Friday, Sept. 12, on the motion to remand and vacate COP approval for the US Wind project.

Without federal approval, the project will not move forward.

Sussex County Republicans who fought against the offshore wind proposal – echoing concerns of many residents who live along the southern coastal border – released a statement applauding the Trump administration’s intent to withdraw federal approval.

“Delaware’s beaches are the backbone of our local economy, supporting thousands of jobs and generating millions in revenue annually,” said Senate Minority Leader Gerald Hocker, R-Ocean View. “Just as importantly, this decision helps protect our fragile Inland Bays, which faced potential disruption from transmission cables slated to run through the Indian River. These concerns are finally being heard, and I’m grateful for the administration’s commitment to protecting both our coastal economy and our environment.”

He said while Maryland would benefit from renewable energy credits, Delaware’s Inland Bays would bear the environmental cost of burying transmission cables beneath the Indian River Bay.

Senate Republican Whip Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, said any attempts to frame Republicans as hypocritical in regard to SB 159 are misleading.

“Senate Bill 159 was unprecedented in that the state government stepped in to override a local land-use decision by Sussex County,” Pettyjohn said. “That’s a matter of local control. What we are talking about now is the federal government reconsidering federal permits it issued for a project in federal waters. Local control is not a factor here, and it is disingenuous to suggest otherwise.”

Republicans said they do not oppose renewable energy, and pointed to their support of nuclear energy as an option.

“Nuclear energy is one of the most dependable baseload sources of zero-emission power, and it could provide the reliability our grid needs while advancing our clean-energy goals,” said Sen. Bryant Richardson, R-Seaford.

Senate Democrats said they will continue to monitor the situation, and will engage the Delaware Department of Justice “as appropriate in pursuit of a just outcome that moves Delaware forward.”

Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes, said in a statement that the Trump administration’s efforts to unwind the federal permitting process will directly impact Sussex County’s economic development efforts.

“Adding reliable, affordable power to our grid right here in Sussex County wouldn’t simply improve residential energy affordability; it would encourage industry and other businesses to locate here given our increased capacity,” he said. “It is hugely unfortunate to see our leaders abandoning key principles around infrastructure investment and economic growth in favor of ideological fights that falsely try to paint green energy as a bogeyman.”