Earth Equity News

Maryland to Join Others in Alternative Power Deal. By Lisa Rein, WashPost, August 17, 2008. "[Maryland's Democratic] Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Saturday that Maryland will join Montgomery County, the University of Maryland and other local governments in a long-term commitment to buy wind power and other renewable energy... O'Malley said the boost to alternative power sources, the first deal of its kind in the nation, will be critical in preventing rolling blackouts Maryland could face as soon as 2011 if the state's thirst for power continues to outpace supply. But he put on notice the energy companies whose profits have soared as electricity bills increased under deregulation: Unless Maryland's still-regulated utilities add new supplies of power, his administration will order them to build new plants. 'We cannot stand idly by and wait for market forces or the electricity good fairy to solve this problem for us,' [O'Malley said]... By using its market clout to buy electricity from the fledgling wind-power industry -- much the way the state-federal Medicaid system secures lower prices for prescription drugs -- the coalition of state and local governments and the university will be able to meet up to 20% of their energy needs, the governor's energy advisers said. The contracts to supply 'clean,' carbon-free power could be locked in for as long as 15 years, speeding up plans for a large wind farm off the Delaware coast that is seeking a guaranteed market to satisfy investors... A Minnesota company eyeing an Eastern Shore site for a plant that would turn poultry litter into energy also could bid on the contract."