I think Ocean City residents should embrace the opportunity. The same issue came up in at town of Thomas West Virginia, where a mountain top was lined with turbines. There was a lot of controversy at first because of the view obstruction, but now the large, surreal looking machines are seen by many tourists as an enhancement to the landscape. One roadside pull-off even has a sign advertising that it offers the best view of the turbines. The fact is, many regions work hard and spend lots of money enticing power companies to bring these kinds of projects. To be offered them in an ideal off-shore location is a gift not to be passed up.

We go to OC every summer and stay at a hotel on the Boardwalk. I'll have no problem viewing the turbines way off in the distance, especially knowing that they are reducing, at least to a small extent, our dependence on limited energy sources. If you're against the turbines, please don't then whine about the cost of natural gas, oil, electricity, etc.

If they are only barely visable it sounds like a decent idea. If I did my calculations correctly, the cost of each turbine is $10 million. That seems like a lot of money.

View obstruction? Are you kidding? I'm assuming you could see the turbines if one had 20/20 vision. I need glasses to read and another pair of glasses to drive. I probably wouldn't be able to see a whale if it was 100 yards offshore. If we can't build new nuclear plants, if we can't drill for oil in Alaska because it might upset a couple of caribou , we need to embrace new ideas. I go to Ocean City every year. The view will be the same as it's always been, blurry.

The fight against global climate change is a global effort. It will take millions of tiny, sustained efforts by all people in all towns, all over the world. We can't let fear of change stop us from making choices that support this effort.

As far as personal inconvenience goes, having to look at turbines while relaxing on the beach or in your condo is a small sacrifice.

Personally, there is little that I find more beautiful than a view of a cleaner, safer future for the Earth and her inhabitants.

"without producing any of the carbon dioxide gas that causes global warming and rising sea levels"

They brainwashed you too I guess. There is no scientific proof that man made emissions are causing the Earth warm or raise sea levels. It's simply a political money and power grab which uses phony science to mislead the easily persuaded.

Thomas,
I think YOU'RE the one who has been brainwashed. The scientific consensus regarding global warming is virtually unanimous. For some more fact-based reading, check out the NY Times topic site:

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier#

I've seen the turbines in Pennsylvania, and I think they look cool. I wonder if people complained about the civil defense towers along the Delaware coast. If energy dependence is a matter of national security, as I believe it is, people who are afraid of little white specks on the horizon should think of them as new age civil defense towers.

Plus, I'm from Salisbury, and I think people on the Eastern Shore are more environmentally progressive than most people realize. If there's a big fuss, I doubt it'll be the locals registering the complaints.

Greatest thing that could happen and it should in a lot of places. Reducing dependency of electric is here. It will not hurt Ocean City or the view, in fact many people will come just to see them. I look forward to trips through Western Maryland all the time, just so I can see them. A word of caution though! Watch out for the Ocean City Government, if they have it their way, they will want some kind of restitution for them being there in their view. The better deal would be to put some savings in the consumers pocket.

When I see wind turbines near or far, I see in my mind smokeless smokestacks, smell cleaner air, think of children without asthma and senior citizens with less respiratory symptoms and birds that do not have to worry that their fragile eggs cracking. Wind turbines could replace all oil imports within ten years if the $ Four Billion spent on wind turbine last year in the US could be increased tenfold.

Any engineer knows that problem solving involves the problem, it's solution, and the criteria which forms the confines of the design. In short, what is important, and what is not.
The view is not a critical issue in the grand scheme of things while saving our planet's legacy is of supreme import.
A progressive person today views the windmills as something of value to the community.
We got used to power poles and lines, we'll get used to windmills.
If there was ever an award for ugliness, power poles and lines would win.
Three cheers for windmills!
John Cleveland

Maryland has over 3000 miles of coastline. All of it is at risk from the rising sea levels and increasingly dangerous hurricanes that are the consequences of burning fossil fuel. We should be building wind mills all over the state.

For the past year I have been working closely with folks to create tidal wind farms off of the east coast at Rehobot Beach and in Ocean City. I introduced people from Blue Water Wind to officials in MD.

Green Power. Tidal Wind Farms are a win win for everyone. The farms produce green power, do not pollute the air, or harm fish or dolphins.

Price Stability. The farms provide lots of power and price stability. Since the source of power is local we will not be depend on political conditons, wars or foreign governments for our supply of energy or to determine how much that energy will cost. The cost of wind power remains stable over the years as opposed to other types of energy.

Health Cost. There are also numerous health considerations associated with other types of energy. Wind Power is clean energy. In Delaware, a cancer cluster has been found around the NRG coal plant at Indian River. DE health officials are currently conducting extensive studies to determine the impact of pollution on the health of local residents. While this study is confined to cancer it is feared that other diseases may be caused by pollution from power plants. The cost to clean up these plants and to care for many of sick individuals will ultimately born by the taxpayers.

Finally, there is a golden opportunity for both MD & DE to develop a new industry. The ocean going turbines are not currently manufactured in the U.S. Thus, a whole new industry can be created here that will bring lots of high paying jobs to the area. It will also lead to expanded opportunities for the Port of Baltimore. And DE can become exporter of energy.

A Cape Cod resident wrote this response to my summary of their battle with the wind industry:

I wrote: "A well-publicized battle continues between offshore wind developers and waterfront homeowners in Nantucket Sound. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose family has a summer home in Cape Cod, is among the opponents of the Cape Wind Project, which would be closer to shore than the one proposed in Maryland."

The Cape Codder replied: Get your facts straight. A great majority of Cape Codders oppose the wind farm on Nantucket sound, and believe it or not, we don't all live in waterfront homes.That is a ridiculous statement.The battle is between all of us whom reside here, not the Kennedy family and Cape Wind. The Cape is not a wealthy community,far from it.