The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is slated to conduct a joint virtual public hearing concerning the permit requests for US Wind, Inc.'s Maryland offshore wind project, with significant components set to cross under Delaware's jurisdiction. This online public forum is scheduled for Tuesday, July 9 at 6 p.m., as per DNREC's announcement. The project in the spotlight plans to install up to four offshore/onshore export cables, navigating through Delaware-managed waters of the Atlantic Ocean and sprawling into the Indian River Bay.
Delaware's coastal embrace would witness these cables making landfall at the 3R’s Beach parking lot in Delaware Seashore State Park, which would then feed into an adjoining substation next to the Indian River Power Plant in Sussex County; the cables themselves extending roughly 15.2 miles. The upcoming hearing not only provides a platform for the community to express their views but also serves as an essential step for US Wind, which requires an assortment of authorizations from DNREC's water-focused divisions, among these are permits for cable ducts installation using horizontal direction drilling, dredging, and trenching, along with construction permits for a transition vault, the agency needs this to push forward with their cable-laying activities.
Those interested in attending the hearing can register at de.gov/dnrechearings, where the option for making oral commentary during the event is also available, though one must pre-register by noon on the date of the virtual hearing at de.gov/dnreccomments, in turn, the hearing will feature closed captioning in over 20 languages including English and Spanish, courtesy of the Zoom platform DNREC utilizes for public events. The project permits and authorizations span a range of divisions: a Subaqueous Lands Permit from the Division of Water, a Water Quality Certification also from the Division of Water, a Wetlands Permit, and a Beach Preservation Coastal Construction Permit courtesy of the Division of Watershed Stewardship.
US Wind's proposed wind project stands in a delicate balance, teetering on the brink of a future less reliant on fossil fuels while navigating the meticulous intricacies of environmental protections, the public will have until Sept. 9, 2022, to submit comments, which DNREC will accept in various written formats: via email at [email protected], through their online form or by U.S. Mail directed to Ms. Lisa Vest, Public Hearing Officer, at the DNREC Office of the Secretary. With the deliberate exclusion of social media or text messages as permissible formats; the agency's stern protocol is clear as it seeks to ensure an orderly and accessible process for all voices seeking to partake in shaping Delaware's energy future.
