US Wind proposes $20 million in funds for commercial fishermen

In response to feedback from commercial fishermen, offshore wind developer US Wind has proposed a $20 million community resilience fund in support of the industry.

US Wind recently announced it had reached a memorandum of understanding with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

US Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski said the proposal is one of the biggest investments in commercial fishing in the region and demonstrates US Wind’s commitment to the fishing industry and the local community in which it will operate.

“The funding will provide direct support to commercial and charter fishermen, grants for local businesses, and support for harbor maintenance and infrastructure. We’re looking forward to continuing our work with local fishermen and the states of Maryland and Delaware to finalize this unprecedented agreement,” said Grybowski in a prepared statement.

The majority of the $20 million – $13.5 million – is slated for Maryland’s community resilience fund and would provide grants for fishing businesses in the harbor to continue the offloading of catch and ice services; 30 years of funding for West Ocean City Harbor maintenance, such as dredging requested each year by the community, dock and shore stabilization; and substantial money for gear development, marketing of local seafood, fishing business development, and incentives for new commercial fishermen.

In the Delaware MOU, the fund will provide significant funding for fishing-related research, such as novel fishing gear development.

DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson said the MOU represents a balance of advancing needed energy generation while taking meaningful steps to protect fishing livelihoods and strengthen coastal resilience.

In addition to the resilience funds for each state, the MOUs will establish two further areas of multi-state monetary support. One is a $5.4 million direct, claims-based compensation program for commercial and for-hire recreational fishermen who demonstrate impacts to their fisheries revenue from US Wind projects. Also, more than $1 million in funds for upgraded navigation safety equipment and safety training will be available to Maryland and Delaware-based vessels and crew who operate in the vicinity of the wind farms.

The US Wind project comprises up to 121 wind turbine generators, up to four offshore substations, up to four offshore export cables and one meteorological tower in ocean waters due east of Ocean City, Md. The offshore export cables are proposed to land at 3R’s Beach, north of Bethany Beach, and interconnect with the proposed substation, which would take up 23.5 acres of the total 140. The project has received federal and state permit approvals, but a number of lawsuits and appeals of those approvals have been filed and are continuing to work through the legal process.

In order to support its offshore wind projects, US Wind plans to establish an operations and maintenance facility in the West Ocean City Harbor, which will serve as the primary location to plan and coordinate wind turbine and offshore substation maintenance and servicing operations for the offshore wind projects. The facility will not house large wind turbine components, such as blades, towers, or monopiles, and will not berth large, deep-draft vessels that cannot enter the harbor.