Hoyer Urges MIT Study Before Windmills Built

Statement by Congressman Steny Hoyer on the veto of House Bill 1168

 I am deeply disappointed by Governor O’Malley’s veto of this legislation, which passed the Maryland General Assembly with a strong, veto-proof majority. Senators Mikulski and Cardin and I supported the legislation and urged the Governor to sign it.

This veto fails to demonstrate Maryland’s strong commitment and support for the mission of Patuxent River Naval Air Station. As a Member of Congress representing Pax River for over two decades and as someone who has been intimately involved in the last three BRAC rounds, I know that protecting Pax River’s unique capabilities is hardly a matter of inconvenience to the men and women who work at Pax River and support our uniformed personnel. Pax River is a world-class installation that supports over 20,000 well-paying jobs and contributes $7.5 billion annually to our state’s economy, and I intend to continue to work to protect Pax River and strengthen our national security. Together, we can work to alleviate the threat of climate change without undermining an important national security asset.

I urged that the legislation be signed into law so that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology would have sufficient time to determine whether available technologies can be deployed to mitigate the adverse impact of the proposed Somerset County wind project that the engineers at Pax and MIT say will adversely affect the capabilities of Pax River’s radar testing range.

The Department of the Navy recently stated, “wind turbines within the line of site of the Advanced Dynamic Aircraft Measurement System will have an adverse effect on critical flight tests,” and the proposed agreement between Pioneer Green and the Navy is “still under review and has not been approved by the Navy.”

I strongly urge the completion of MIT’s study prior to final approval of this project. The Navy has invested $2 million in this study and should wait to receive its results and recommendations before moving forward. Doing so will send a strong message that we stand firmly behind our military installations and their mission as we seek to deploy renewable energy.