Offshore wind power: Perspectives from Maryland's Eastern Shore

Keywords: offshore-wind power, political ecology, grounded theory
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 12

Abstract

Expanded interest in offshore wind power has led to increasing infrastructure development pressure in coastal regions of the worlds oceans. Through the ocean’s reacknowledged ability to serve as a site of power generation, it is actively reterritorialized as a part of the emerging renewable energy “land”scape. Community conflict over offshore wind power development is contextualized by the process of reterritorializing ocean spaces. An initial examination of case studies shows that an individual’s reasons for opposition or support are complex and attributing opposition to not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) attitudes does not always hold water. Through semi-structured, open ended interviews with various stakeholders in Ocean City Maryland, this research will peer purposefully into the depths of support and opposition for proposed offshore wind projects.