Just last week in Wilmington, Secretary van der Vaart spoke to coastal residents and Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, or BOEM, officials about the potential North Carolina’s abundant offshore wind resources present. He emphasized the importance of balancing energy development with environmental safeguards, and in the case of wind energy, protecting the tourism industry that is so vital to our beach communities.
BOEM has identified three Wind Energy Areas – Wilmington West, Wilmington East, and Kitty Hawk – as potential areas for development. Offshore wind farms would particularly impact the view from the coasts of New Hanover and Brunswick counties. Almost one billion dollars in economic activity was generated in 2013 from visitors to these two counties, providing more than 10,000 jobs and $90 million in state and local tax revenues.
BOEM is proposing a 10 nautical mile buffer between wind turbines and our coastal communities. DEQ has asked BOEM to extend that buffer to 24 nautical miles to lessen the impact on the view from our coast. The National Parks Service requested and received a 33.7 nautical mile buffer for the Bodie Island Lighthouse to prevent offshore wind energy facilities from impacting coastal tourism along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. DEQ is working to ensure that BOEM shows similar consideration to protect the economies and land values of Brunswick and New Hanover counties.
Secretary van der Vaart believes that with these protections in place, North Carolina can harness wind energy in a way that is environmentally sound and economically responsible, and the StarNews cannot accurately cite an instance where he has said otherwise.
Editor’s note: Analysts say at 24 miles offshore the turbines wouldn’t get enough wind to be economically feasible. The StarNews editorial argued that the McCrory Administration’s proposal is for something that will not be built.
Jenny Kelvington is senior policy adviser for the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.
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