The Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013, Senate Bill 275, was put before the Senate Finance Committee yesterday, where Governor Martin O’Malley gave his testimony in favour of offshore wind.
The first thing that Governor O’Malley highlighted was the offshore wind’s impact on employment in Maryland.
Governor O’Malley told the Committee: “Off-Shore wind would support 850 jobs during the construction period. It would allow us to create 160 permanent, good, local jobs once the turbines start spinning. And if we succeed in establishing Maryland as the regional manufacturing hub for wind turbines,… we will create and sustain even more good jobs.
“This bill will also specifically help create jobs at businesses owned by minorities and women. Last year, for the first time ever, we exceeded our highest-in-the-nation goal for empowering women and minority-owned businesses. This bill would create a $10 million fund to help us further empower these job-creators, as we harness Maryland’s abundant source of off-shore wind.”
On the other hand, the Committee also heard the opinion of Jeff Zellmer from the Maryland Retailers Association, who said that implementation of the bill would actually cut jobs instead of creating them, The Associated Press reports.
According to Mr. Zellmer, this would happen to grocery chains, which operate on a 2% profit margin, with electricity being the second-largest cost. The bill, which would take effect on June 1, if approved, would limit rate increases for residential customers to USD 1.50 per month and businesses to 1.5%.
In spite of this, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller is confident this bill will pass.
Miller said: “It’ll pass. It’ll pass the committee and it’ll pass the Senate. There’ll be a lot of debate and there’ll be amendments, but I’m confident it will pass.”
[mappress]
Offshore WIND staff, February 14, 2013