Senator Carozza Calls on Maryland BPW to Postpone Action on US Wind’s Tidal Wetlands License at West Ocean City Harbor

Senator Mary Beth Carozza (R-District 38) is calling on the Maryland Board of Public Works to postpone consideration of the US Wind’s Tidal Wetlands License Application to build an industrial pier at the West Ocean City Harbor until and if the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issues its final decision regarding US Wind’s offshore wind energy project in Maryland. The proposed US Wind license calls for the construction of a 10,590 square-foot concrete industrial pier with machinery and a portable crane as part of US Wind’s Operation and Maintenance Facility to be located at the West Ocean City Harbor. The letter states the West Ocean City Harbor is the only commercial fishing harbor in Maryland with access to the Atlantic Ocean and should be preserved to protect the many small business owners who depend on it.

Full Letter:

Maryland Board of Public Works
80 Calvert Street, Room 117
Annapolis, MD 21401
Re: Tidal Wetlands Case No. 23-0813 by US Wind
Dear Governor Moore, Comptroller Lierman, and Treasurer Davis:
As the State Senator representing all of Worcester County which includes the West Ocean City Harbor, I
am writing to express my full opposition to the proposed Tidal Wetlands Case No. 23-0813 by US Wind
and to request that the Maryland Board of Public Works postpone consideration of the US Wind’s Tidal
Wetlands License Application until and if the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issues its
final decision regarding US Wind’s offshore wind energy project in Maryland.
I have received numerous comments of objection to this application and only one in favor which comes
from the owner of the company who intends to sell his property to US Wind. My views are informed by
my own research as well as numerous interactions with both constituents and others from across
Maryland who have voiced their deep concerns about the negative impact of the US Wind’s proposed
industrial maintenance facility on the commercial fishing industry and overall region.
Economic: Commercial fishing is a major economic driver for Ocean City and the Eastern Shore region.
There are only two locations where commercial vessels can offload their catch in Ocean City which are
the same two locations that would be taken over by US Wind’s proposed Operations and Maintenance
Facility in the West Ocean City Harbor. US Wind’s proposal to reconstruct and widen the existing West
Ocean City Pier would effectively eliminate commercial fishing in Ocean City by displacing dock space
and seafood offload locations currently used by local commercial fishing boats. The West Ocean City
Harbor is the only commercial fishing harbor in Maryland with access to the Atlantic Ocean and should
be preserved to protect the many small business owners who depend on it. The elimination of commercial
fishing would have a major negative economic impact on Worcester County and the State of Maryland,
forcing local commercial fishing families who have lived here and worked here for generations to relocate
elsewhere.
The Maryland Department of Environment (MDE)’s statements referring to Worcester County’s creation
of the special Marina District are being misinterpreted from the original intention. The key purpose of the
Marina District is to protect commercial fishing. While there is language allowing other marine-related
businesses, the elected public officials who created the Special Marina District could never have imagined
a facility like the one proposed by US Wind which would result in eliminating the Marina District’s core
essential business, instead of protecting commercial fishing. It is not a compatible use, just the opposite.

Developmental: The comments by the MDE in their evaluation refer to Riparian Rights. Those are
commonly used to gain access to deeper, navigable water and/or to protect from erosion, neither of which
is a problem in the target location. Pier permits also require a width of 6 feet. This application is for a 30-
foot width and 353 feet distance. This is NOT “similar to other pier and bulkhead work completed in the
vicinity” as the MDE states. It is far different in size and scope from anything else in the vicinity.
Recreational Boating: The West Ocean City Harbor, while created with commercial fishing as its
primary focus, also is the location of two marinas and one large public launching ramp, all of which are
heavily used by the recreational boating public. Both commercial and recreational vessels moor in the
harbor. The MDE states the width of the harbor to be 186 feet, the proposed pier 30 feet, and the Crew
Transfer Vessels at 33 feet. The MDE calculates the remaining usable water area as 147 feet.
Marina and boating experts believe the MDE calculations are inaccurate, and the numbers also ignore the
width of vessels moored on the opposite side of the harbor which can be 20 to 30 feet, which reduces the
usable width to around 100 feet. This creates a bottleneck at the entrance of the harbor, resulting in
congestion and threatening boat passenger safety when some vessels may be forced to back out due to no
safe turnaround area.
Aesthetic: The concept of this proposed industrial O&M facility as being aesthetically pleasing is absurd.
A 10,590 square-foot concrete surface with machinery and a portable crane would dramatically and
permanently change the working harbor character of the West Ocean City Harbor. While focusing my
comments on the impacts of the proposed pier and bulkhead, common sense also would lead to
understanding that a full build out of the industrial pier with the addition of more heavy industrial
equipment and operations would forever change the charm and character of Maryland’s only commercial
fishing harbor with access to the Atlantic Ocean.
Ecological: The critically-needed horseshoe crab harvesting for the biomedical industry currently is
taking place at Martin Fish Company in the West Ocean City Harbor. If US Wind’s tidal wetlands license
application is approved and the Martin Fish Company property is sold, the horseshoe harvesting would
move to another location either outside of the State of Maryland or outside of Worcester County. This
would have a huge negative impact on the local economy, contributing to the higher death rate of the
crabs which can no longer be “bled” and immediately returned to their natural habitat.
Request: Given the significant negative impact of the US Wind’s proposed O&M facility on the
commercial fishing industry and dramatic and permanent change to the legacy and iconic West Ocean
City Harbor, I respectfully urge you, as Members of the Maryland Board of Public Works, to postpone
consideration of US Wind’s Tidal Wetlands License 23-WL until and if the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management grants final approval of US Wind’s Offshore Wind Energy project off Maryland’s Coast.

In Service,

MARY BETH CAROZZA
State Senator – District 38
Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset