US Wind project is not good for Sussex County

David T. Stevenson

January 31, 2025

Event Date:

Wed, 01/29/2025 - 11:00 am

The federal US Wind Final Environmental Impact Statement concludes on page 135, “U.S. offshore wind projects would likely have a limited impact on global emissions and climate change.” So no impact on sea-level rise.

US Wind claims the $200 million they will invest in building transmission lines will offer general upgrades to the local transmission systems. However, if the project isn’t built, the transmission upgrades are unnecessary. Their claim of lowering homeowner electric rates $9 per year is statistically zero given the model’s plus/minus $17 error range.

Consultants employed by the Maryland Public Service Commission stated the offshore wind projects would simply replace onshore wind projects that cost 80% less.

The benefits package signed by Gov. Carney equaled $128 million over 20 years. The discounted present value of that stream equals $40 million. The FEIS states commercial fishing operators will abandon fishing in the lease areas, there will be more vessel collisions, Coast Guard search-and-rescue operations will take longer, and there will be poorly studied environmental impacts. These impacts come at a cost not estimated here.

The FEIS concludes, “Ocean views will change from pristine to developed with views dominated by turbines,” and this will have a major impact. The FEIS used a University of Delaware survey of beachgoers to calculate potential lost tourism because of the daytime visual blight of turbines on ocean views. The survey estimated 15% of tourists would not return to a beach with visible turbines. A similar survey of recent renters in the Outer Banks showed 38% would not return.

A recent Delaware tourism report shows $2.7 billion in tourist spending at the beach. The entire $40 million benefits package would disappear with a 1.5% loss in tourism in just the first year. The UD report also expects lost property values and lower rental income.

Our survey of all 11,000 property owners within one mile of the beach showed 86% of property owners oppose visible offshore wind turbines. Those property owners fund 100% of our efforts to oppose offshore wind, not Big Oil as some allege. In fact, BP and Shell oil are investors in East Coast offshore wind projects.

The US Wind project is not a good deal for Sussex County.

Our complete study, “Critique of PA Consulting Group Delaware Offshore Wind Benefits Report,” includes links to references. It can be found at https://tinyurl.com/3vz22krr.

Editor’s note: When asked to provide additional information to support the claim that Caesar Rodney Institute is not funded by Big Oil, Stevenson declined, stating court rulings over the last 60 years have continually sided with organizations to protect their donors.

A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.

To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.