OCEAN CITY, Md. — We've shared the renderings of what the view from Ocean City's beaches would look like if wind turbines are installed, and today, another step in the fight against those turbines.
Nearly 3 dozen plaintiffs, made up of Ocean City leaders, people who own fishing-related businesses, small businesses not associated with fishing, and Ocean City residents, filed a complaint to reverse action that would bring turbines to Ocean City.
The plaintiffs claim the final actions taken by the federal agencies violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). They contend these actions were in breach of several federal environmental statutes, suggesting that proper legal and procedural protocols may not have been followed.
A judge rejected US Wind's attempt to have the case dismissed, but did dismiss some of the lawsuit, while moving forward with other aspects of it.
Memorandum Opinion (7!2!25) by
The project includes up to 114 wind turbine generators, four offshore substations, a meteorological tower, and export cables and would be located 10 nautical miles off Ocean City beaches. WMAR-2 News Jeff Morgan talked to those for and against the wind farm this spring. Meanwhile, in May, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for its plans to freeze spending on wind energy operations. On January 20, 2025, President Trump halted federal approvals on the development of offshore and onshore wind energy projects. A delegation from Ocean City traveled to DC in May to get a moratorium on the construction of wind farms, but the Maryland Department of the Environment signed off on the permits in June. At that time Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan released a statement that read in part, "Our city, our county, and our residents do not want this project to move forward, yet the state seems resolute on forcing it upon us. We will continue fighting this project forcefully in court and with those policymakers who have the power to stop it. It is time to put an end to subsidizing this cash cow for US Wind and for the state to invest time and energy on more realistic forms of alternative energy before we end up with a wind turbine graveyard off of our coast and the multi-generational nightmare of repairing our environment and economy.” The offshore wind industry could bring 13,000 jobs to Maryland.
