Offshore wind in Maryland could get a boost from the Obama administration's approval of the controversial Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, proponents seem to think.
While wind may be looking up, prospects for drilling for oil and gas off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts aren't helped by news that the oil leak off Louisiana's coast from the destroyed Deepwater Horizon platform is five times worse than previously thought. The Coast Guard says 5,000 barrels of oil may be escaping daily into the water, and it's looking to try to burn off the fuel before it can reach the sensitive wetlands along the coast.
The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service is still a ways from being prepared to invite developers to show interest in placing wind turbines off Ocean City or Assateague Island. But Maryland's Department of Natural Resources is busily scouting out where the best spots are to catch the wind -- also, where there might be conflicts with birds and other marine life, with fishermen and ships.
DNR held open houses earlier this month to lay out what it's found out already and to seek comment. If you missed them, you can still see what was presented. The posters are viewable online, just click here and scroll down. Of particular interest are the maps, slides 17 through 20. DNR hopes to post all its information in an online coastal atlas in June.
One of the natural features to be avoided likely would be cold-water corals such as sea whip that grow on the bottom off OC. Charter fishing Capt. Monty Hawkins first told me about them, and he has narrated a video essay describing the bottom features and their value as fish habitat, which you can see below.