A bill providing a public subsidy to offshore wind generation received preliminary approval from the House of Delegates Wednesday.
The bill, one of Gov. Martin O'Malley's initiatives for the 2013 Maryland General Assembly session, would add $1.50 to the average consumer's electric bill once the windmills are built and start generating electricity.
The turbines would likely be built 10 to 30 miles off the coast of Ocean City.
The bill was passed despite attempts by Republicans to derail it because of concerns about costs.
The House passed a similar bill last year but it later died in the Senate. The bill is expected to pass the General Assembly this year.
The House of Delegates could schedule a final vote on the legislation as early as Thursday or Friday.
Separate note: I don't understand why people are not getting the basis for decreasing use of fossil fuels: CARBON and Greenhouse gases = earth warming and a cascade of events that will become irreversible if they are not all ready. There is no "clean coal". It still is dirty and produces CO2 still. We have to use less energy and not destroy our environment, or do things that lead to destruction (i.e. Unsustainability). Yes, this is going to cost us now. Is future of our children worth it?
But that's not what this bill is about. This is about corporate welfare, pure and simple. The governor is eager to show off a project, and the wind companies are eager to have someone else pay for it, and the consumers and taxpayers will be on the hook for the costs. -- Zinzindor
Cheapskates with political axes to grind since the thumping in the November election are lining up in wedge formation like bowling pins.
Birds are killed as a result of human impacts in large numbers every year. Per Sibley Guides, the biggest human-related causes of deaths annually are: – Lighted window impacts: 97 to 976 million – Predatory house cats: 500 million or more – High-tension wire impacts: up to 174 million or more – Pesticides: 72 million and possibly many more – Car impacts: 60 million From a rather lengthy article worth reading for a different perspective on this issue: http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/want-to-save-70-million-birds-a-year-build-more-wind-farms-18274 BTW, migratory birds generally follow fairly precise and predictable routes. Off-shore windmills are usually placed well away from those routes.
1 - Many birds, especially birds of prey and gulls, are scanning the ground for food sources as they fly. They are literally not watching where they are going, kind of like a driver texting while driving. 2 - Check out the eyes on a bird. They are not centered like human eyes. They are more to the side, with a beak in between. Their forward vision is not their strong point. They actually have a hard time seeing in front of them.
More on bird kills..
Yes, the law would limit the directly caused rate increases to $1.50 per month -- for residences. But the chances are nil that those costs would be the only ones Marylanders will have to pay. - Businesses will have to lay out more -- which means higher prices to consumers - The remaining increased costs will be paid by state taxpayers. All for the sake of subsidizing a politically favored company. How can anybody with half a brain accept the pocket-picking by O'Malley?
Every form of energy receives some yet I read people's comments on which form is better or more efficient etc. You cannot even begin to have a real, substantive policy discussion about this until you strip down out the subsidies and are comparing apples to apples. How does it make sense to argue that coal or oil costs X and wind or solar cost 2X if coal or oil receives a substantially greater price subsidy. Even if we ignore the ancilliary costs in the 10s of Billions to defend shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf and/or international pipelines, the fossil fuel subsidies are greater than renewables. We as a country need to stop pretending this is a free market decision when it isnt. Those policy decisions were made decades ago. There is a separate question which is - what should the balance of power generation be in the future - that is a fantastic policy question and could lead to a spirited debate.