By Brian Shane

Staff Writer

After excoriating a local environmental nonprofit for its neutral stance on offshore wind, Worcester County officials showed a change of heart and are now promising to support the group’s efforts to secure a rare and valuable state grant.

The county’s Board of Commissioners on Jan. 21 agreed to send a letter of support to the Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MBCP) in their pursuit of millions in state funding.

It’s a reversal from a position the board took just two months back, when they made a stink about withholding support because MCBP wasn’t on the same page with wind power.

Commissioners President Ted Elder said at the meeting how he was “really disappointed” to learn MCBP had not only declined to take sides in the offshore wind debate, but also had accepted a $125,000 in donations from developer US Wind. The nonprofit has said the money went toward a much-needed habitat restoration project.

“I have to say, I’m very torn. I want to vote against you so bad for doing that,” Elder told MCBP executive director Kevin Smith. “But I want to vote for the county getting the benefits of this grant money and the good that can come from it. It’s just one of the hardest votes I can make either way.”

Back in November, Smith came before the commissioners asking for support in the form of a signed letter for a grant application. The grant would be worth $16.8 million over five years – a huge sum in the world of environmental subsidies.

That money from the state’s Whole Watershed Fund would be used for restoration efforts in the Newport Bay watershed, around the area of South Point near Berlin. Adding to the tension, this particular pot of state money would only be made available every five years, and only five grant recipients will be selected. Whether the grants would continue into the future also depends on the state’s current budgeting crisis.

At the time, the commissioners not only scolded Smith for MCBP’s neutral stance on wind energy, but for accepting payment from US Wind. “It sounds to me that was a payoff to keep you neutral – a payoff to keep you quiet,” Elder told Smith at the commissioners’ Nov. 19 meeting.

The harsh stance from county officials comes as battle lines continue to be drawn on wind power and its long-term implications for the Atlantic Coast.

Worcester County has positioned itself as being strongly opposed to offshore wind on many fronts, including partnering with Ocean City in a lawsuit against the federal government, as well as making open plans to use eminent domain to prevent US Wind from buying critical parcels of harbor property in West Ocean City.

However, in this case, county officials were nudged toward a détente by Bob Mitchell, the director of the Environmental Programs office. In a Jan. 17 internal memo, Mitchell basically told elected officials: psst, this grant is an opportunity too good to pass up.

While the application deadline had passed, “there are still opportunities for the county to express backing for the grant project itself with a letter,” and that the high-dollar award was still competitive because only one other agency had applied.

“This is an opportunity to attract significant investment to Worcester County for restoration and other environmental activities in a watershed whose health has been [poor],” Mitchell wrote.

At last Tuesday’s meeting, Commissioner Joe Mitrecic (District 7, Ocean City) made a motion that they send the letter of support, and admitting that the work Coastal Bays does affects his district the most.

“I certainly do have a problem that (MCBP) is not taking a stance on the offshore wind. I still remain the same on that – I think that it’s wrong,” Mitrecic said. “I think that we’ve made our point. I would hate to see us lose this money for the benefit of the coastal bays that surround Worcester County.”

The commissioners voted 6-1 to send the letter, with Commissioner Jim Bunting (District 6, Bishopville) voting nay.

Commissioner Chip Bertino (District 5, Ocean Pines) closed out the conversation by asking Smith: when it comes to taking sides or staying neutral on offshore wind, had his group’s position changed?

The answer was still no, Smith replied, but added that MCBP’s board of directors must now approve any donation over $10,000.

“Our program is made up of a bunch of different partners,” Smith said. “Not everyone agrees. In terms of maintaining ourselves and our program and our partners, we felt the neutrality position was, quite honestly, the only position we could take.”

Moving forward, Smith said the grant application is under review and his team will meet to discuss it next week with the state.

“We’re really very pleased that the county has provided this letter of support because we think it is only going to be helpful in terms of receiving the grant funds,” he said.