Maryland views port as offshore wind farm hub

Maryland views port as offshore wind farm hub    The Obama administration approved a plan by the state of Maryland to develop offshore wind farms on the Outer Continental Shelf, and said interested companies could submit proposals to build turbines in a 206-square-mile area off the coast of Ocean City.
   Maryland is the second state in the nation, after Delaware, to advance this far in the offshore wind development process.
   Gov. Martin O'Malley has made offshore wind a priority in helping meet the state's goal of generating a fifth of its energy from renewable sources by 2022.
   In a statement, the governor's office noted the Port of Baltimore and steel manufacturing capability in the city can help facilitate wind farm construction and maintenance along the Mid-Atlantic region.