Developer scraps Md. turbine project, blames politicsĀ
The Maryland General Assembly is now considering legislation to permanently ban wind turbines from most of the Eastern Shore as well as a bill to allow Kent County officials to bar tall turbines.
Pioneer Green Energy informed Somerset County that it was pulling the 150-megawatt project, citing “unanticipated hurdles and roadblocks.”
“We … are truly saddened we cannot bring new investment, jobs and tax base” to Somerset County, company Vice President Adam Cohen wrote to county officials.
The $200 million project had been expected to generate at least $2 million in local taxes annually. But state lawmakers were concerned that the turbines would interfere with a specialized radar system at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River that is designed to test the stealth capability of aircraft.