One of the problems with wind farms and solar farms is that the wind does not always blow and the sun does not always shine. As America moves toward energy independence, our country is also moving to proven energy sources. Wind and solar do not fit in that category–the countries in Europe that have tried to move entirely to wind and solar have had to change their policies.
On Thursday, WBOC, a DelMarVa news source, reported the following:
OCEAN CITY, Md. – WBOC has acquired a court filing in which the Town of Ocean City and numerous other local plaintiffs have asked a federal judge to prohibit any construction of US Wind’s proposed offshore project while a lawsuit against the project’s approval plays out in court.
The filing, submitted Wednesday, Nov. 5, is the latest move in the Town of Ocean City’s suit to reverse the Biden Administration’s approval of the project that would put over 100 wind turbines off the coast of Worcester County. Ocean City is joined by multiple local businesses, organizations, and residents in their legal battle against the project.
There have been a number of studies relating offshore wind projects to the death of whales and dolphins (one study here). There is evidence that the construction and low frequency of the wind farms interferes with the navigational abilities of certain species.
The article concludes:
WBOC has also obtained a transcript of a conference call on Sept. 18 between the lawsuit’s parties, including Judge Gallagher. During that call, an attorney for US Wind told the judge that construction for the project had already begun.
“I mean…the construction pursuant to the [Construction and Operations Plan] began last year,” the attorney said, according to the court transcript. “Construction is under way. We will continue with ongoing on-the-land construction next year, and…there is a detailed schedule, sequence of events that leads to undersea construction after that.”
What that construction entailed, where it was occurring, or whether it would be included in the proposed injunction was not clear. WBOC previously reached out to a US Wind spokesperson in October to clarify where this construction was taking place but did not receive an answer. We reached out again on Thursday but have not yet received a response as of 2:30 p.m.
Judge Gallagher has yet to weigh in on either US Wind’s or Ocean City’s preliminary injunction requests.
Let’s move forward with less damaging and more reliable sources of energy.