Offshore Wind debate in Worcester County moving toward legal action

WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. – The U.S. Wind Battle continues in Worcester County, and now the company has threatened legal action against county leadership.

Offshore Opposition 

U.S. Wind is working to buy two properties in the West Ocean City commercial maritime harbor. They plan to build an operations and maintenance facility to support its offshore wind project in Ocean City. However, Worcester County officials are currently attempting to block that purchase, citing it may have negative impacts to the local fishing industry.

U.S. Wind

Dave Wilson is the Maryland development manager for U.S. Wind. He says this project would eventually bring hundreds of jobs and billions of dollars in revenue, which is why they are now urging the county to reverse its decision. “We have no choice but to undergo litigation, to try to keep those properties, the contracts for those properties in our hands, so that we can get these projects done. We’ve always been willing to work with the county, we’re already working with DNR.”

Worcester County

Wilson says U.S. Wind feels strongly about the commercial fishing industry, but Chief Administrative Officer for Worcester County Weston Young says they disagree. He says county leaders won’t be intimidated. “Our stance will be through our actions. There are other properties they can consider in the Harbor, and these two properties are critical to the commercial fishing fleet in the County, and for the State for that matter. END and we’re willing to defend the commercial fishing industry.”

Future Plans 

U.S. Wind says they are willing to help foot the bill for the replacement of those services that would be interrupted while construction gets underway. Worcester County officials say they want U.S. Wind to identify property for a new fish house, saying doing away with one of the current ones could create a monopoly for the one that would remain.