Offshore wind

Offshore wind

October 01, 2017 | By Keith Martin in Washington, DC

Maryland offshore wind projects could be imperiled by a provision that Rep. Andy Harris (R-Maryland) added to a House appropriations bill.

The provision would bar the US Department of Interior from spending money to review site assessments and other plans for wind farms with any turbines less than 24 nautical miles off the Maryland coast. Harris represents the Maryland eastern shore.

The bill passed the House in mid-September. It must also pass the Senate to become law.

Congress has had a poor record of passing appropriations bills for federal agencies in recent years and usually ends up folding all spending authority into an omnibus “continuing resolution” at year end authorizing agencies to continue spending at the same level as the year before.

Maryland has signed contracts with two offshore wind farms.

The American Petroleum Institute and the US Chamber of Commerce have joined wind groups in opposing the ban.