Maryland Wind Proposal Includes Grant Money For Minorities

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley latest version of his third straight effort to pass legislation approving offshore wind development includes $10 millions in grant money intended to help small and minority-owned businesses compete for offshore wind contracts. With that change, several African American lawmakers and the head of the state’s NAACP joined environmentalists and union workers on Tuesday in backing the measure.

AAEA supports the offshore wind development plan.



O’Malley’s administration envisions a field of giant turbines about 11 miles off the coast of Ocean City that would produce as much electricity as a small power plant. To offset the higher cost of producing the wind energy, an average of $1.50 a month would be added to residential electricity bills. The impact on commercial and industrial users would be capped at 1.5 percent of their total monthly bills. (Wash Post, 1/23/2013)