Marylanders strongly back offshore wind power

A new poll released last week finds that an overwhelming majority of Maryland citizens (72 percent) support a $2-per-month fee being added to their electricity bills to support development of offshore wind power.

In an article on the survey, the Southern Maryland Newspapers quote Abigail Hopper, energy advisor to Maryland governor Martin O’Malley (D), as saying, “We think the more Marylanders learn about the opportunity for offshore wind and the more they learn about the cost of fossil-based fuels, the more they support proposals like the governor’s offshore wind proposal.”

Mr. O’Malley has sought legislation in recent years to enact such a fee, without success. According to the article, he will be renewing the effort in the current legislative session.
The survey was paid for by the Marylanders for Offshore Wind Coalition and conducted by OpinionWorks, a polling firm based in Annapolis, Md.  It asked the opinions of 800 Maryland residents between December 28 and January 2. The poll, which had a margin of error of 3.5 percent, found support for wind power up 8 percent from December 2011.