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March 28, 2023

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

News Maryland News

Federalsburg Steel Company to Make Components for Wind Energy Turbines

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Maryland’s offshore wind economy is developing at an accelerated pace.

The latest evidence was an announcement Thursday that Ørsted Offshore North America, one of two companies that are expected to build wind energy projects off the coast of Ocean City, reached a $70 million agreement with a steel company in Federalsburg to fabricate steel for turbine components.

The components would be used on turbines for Ørsted’s proposed Skipjack wind development, which is likely to be built off Ocean City, and for two of the company’s projects off the New Jersey coast. They would also be used for a proposed second wind energy development off the coast of Maryland, which is currently being vetted by the state Public Service Commission.

Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) and a host of other state and local officials, business leaders and environmental groups, were on hand for the announcement at the Crystal Steel Fabricators Inc. plant in an industrial park near Marshyhope Creek in Federalsburg. Hogan called it “an exciting day.”

“Ørsted is a cutting-edge company that has made it their mission to create a world that runs on green energy, and they are progressing toward that goal by continuing to invest in Maryland,” he said. “I am confident our state will continue to be a prime location for offshore wind development, and I want to thank both Ørsted and Crystal Steel for playing a key role.”

This is just the latest announcement about Maryland businesses that are poised to benefit from the fledgling offshore wind industry. Earlier this month, Ørsted announced that it would build a $20 million emissions-free offshore wind operations and maintenance facility on Harbor Road in West Ocean City. And in August, the second company to gain state approval to build a wind energy development in federal waters off Ocean City, US Wind, made a splashy announcement that it would expand operations in Maryland and open its own steel plant at the Tradepoint Atlantic industrial development in Baltimore County.

The Tradepoint Atlantic blueprint, to a great degree, depends on US Wind’s expansion plans being approved by local, state and federal regulators — a process that could take years. In an act of subtle gamesmanship, Ørsted executives boast that their project in Federalsburg can begin immediately, and in fact, Hogan and his Commerce secretary, Kelly M. Schulz, both joked Thursday that they would try to exit the plant quickly so as not to impede progress.

The agreement signed between Ørsted and Crystal Steel means the steel company will be able to hire up to 50 new workers — machine operators, welders and steel fitters — which would increase its workforce in Federalsburg by about one-third and pay “substantial wages,” according to William Lo, president and CEO of the minority-owned company.

Before announcing the deal, Hogan and other dignitaries toured the Crystal Steel facility, seeing where different phases of component work would take place. Later, two welders symbolically fused the corporate logos of the two companies together onto a steel map of Maryland.

Steel beams at the Crystal Steel Fabricators Inc. facility in Federalsburg. Photo by Josh Kurtz, Maryland Matters

Local officials said that the steel plant, located in one of several industrial parks that are popping up in the mainly agricultural Eastern Shore, are injecting much-needed financial capital into the area and are a major source of job growth.

“You wouldn’t believe all the activity that’s going on over here,” Del. John F. “Johnny” Mautz IV (R-Middle Shore) said in an interview.

State Sen. Adelaide C. Eckardt (R-Middle Shore) referred to several companies in the area as “family,” and welcomed Ørsted as “our new family.”

In contrast to the Tradepoint Atlantic event at Sparrows Point, an iconic former industrial area along the Baltimore County waterfront, which also included Hogan and other dignitaries, an environmental leader was invited to speak in Federalsburg on Thursday.

Kim Coble, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, noted that her organization works to hold elected officials accountable, but said it was fitting that she could offer praise and congratulations for Thursday’s announcement. “We have a lot to celebrate.”

Coble said that in addition to the boost the Ørsted-Crystal Steel agreement gives to Maryland’s clean energy goals, she was also pleased that Ørsted is planning to build the first zero-emissions maintenance facility in West Ocean City and is adding air filtration technologies to the Crystal Steel plant to protect workers.

Both Ørsted and US Wind are awaiting final federal government OK for their projects off Maryland’s coast — though their approval seems almost inevitable, given the Biden administration’s push to exponentially increase the number of clean energy projects being built across the nation. Earlier this week, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the administration aims to offer leases for offshore wind energy development everywhere off the U.S. coast by 2025.

In 2017, US Wind and Ørsted were granted leases from the Maryland Public Service Commission, which is serving as the agent for the federal government, for the first phase of the Interior Department’s lease areas off the coast. Earlier this year, the two companies applied to win the contract for another lease area near Ocean City. The PSC has promised to decide on the bids by mid-December.

Last month, Ørsted filed a complaint with the PSC seeking to disqualify US Wind for the second phase of leasing, questioning the timing of when US Wind would begin utilizing clean energy credits from the state. But last week, the PSC rejected the Ørsted complaint, concluding “it would be inappropriate to grant [Ørsted’s] Motion to Disqualify at this time.”

Nancy Sopko, director of external affairs for US Wind, said an independent consultant for the state has determined that the company’s project off the Ocean City coast was best equipped to protect ratepayers and would cost less than its rival’s.

Both companies hope to have the first phases of their Maryland projects running by the middle of this decade.

State elected officials and business leaders are largely committed to boosting the offshore wind industry in Maryland. Opposition remains in Ocean City, where some political leaders, business owners and real estate agents believe the presence of wind turbines a dozen miles or more from the beach resort could hurt the tourism industry and depress housing values.

By Josh Kurtz

Ocean City Officials Make Last-Ditch Effort on Offshore Wind, But They’re Outnumbered at Hearing

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Ocean City leaders used a public hearing Tuesday night on proposals to expand offshore wind-generated electricity production along Maryland’s coast for a last-ditch attempt to push the proposed turbine installations farther out to sea.

But they found themselves badly outnumbered during a three-hour virtual hearing of the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) on two companies’ bids for the next phase of offshore wind energy development in the state: About three-quarters of the people testifying favored expanding the lease area in federal waters.

Two energy companies, Ørsted and US Wind, are awaiting final U.S. government approval to build the first phase of Maryland’s offshore wind development off the coast of Ocean City. But even before the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management weighs in, state officials are seeking bidders for the second phase of wind development; both US Wind and Ørsted are interested in winning that contract as well.

But even as wind energy installations seem likely to appear up and down the Atlantic coast over the next decade, some Ocean City political and business leaders continue to insist that giant turbines located 12-20 miles offshore will damage views from the shore, jeopardizing tourism, real estate values and the local economy.

State Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-Lower Shore) urged the PSC to “preserve and protect the Ocean City way of life.”

“We support clean energy in Maryland, including offshore wind, but we stand in opposition to the size and location of the turbines,” she said.

The simple solution, Carozza and other officials argued, is to push the wind energy projects farther offshore, noting that similar moves are being made in other East Coast states. But designated federal lease areas off the coast of Maryland and Delaware only go so far, meaning moving them farther offshore isn’t practical.

Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said he did not know why, with the federal approval process for the first phase of the development moving so slowly, the PSC seemed so eager to award a lease for the second phase.

“Why would the PSC rush to [approve another lease] with so many unanswered questions?” he asked, adding that the impacts of the wind turbines on the Ocean City economy would be “irreversible.”

“We can’t rely on [the wind energy companies] to protect the future of Ocean City,” Meehan said.

Danny Robinson, an Ocean City restaurant owner, laid out his opposition in more dramatic terms. He said he informally polls his customers and hasn’t found a single one who favors the wind projects.

“I understand that we in this little community are the only thing standing between the big wind cartel and billions of dollars in government subsidies,” Robinson said, calling the projects “a plunder of our resources” rather than “a solution for climate change.”

“I don’t want to have to explain to my grandchildren what a sunrise used to look like in Ocean City, Maryland,” he said.

But dozens of people testified in favor of the expansion plans, saying that Ocean City might cease to exist altogether if renewable power projects aren’t advanced aggressively.

“The fact of the matter is, if we don’t act now, there will be no Ocean City,” said Cindy Dillon, a resident of Ocean Pines.

Kathy Phillips, director of the Assateague Coastal Trust, said the current debate over offshore wind reminds her of the furor in Ocean City over beach replenishment in the 1980’s, when some residents feared that higher dunes would block views from low-level condominiums. Instead, she said, they have become natural treasures that attract red foxes and other wildlife.

“Twenty years from now, our offshore wind farms will be claimed proudly by new residents and tourists,” Phillips predicted.

Representatives from labor unions, regional business organizations, Baltimore County government and the Tradepoint Atlantic industrial development near Dundalk touted the economic development benefits of offshore wind and said the projects would provide thousands of construction jobs in Maryland and hundreds of maintenance jobs in the Ocean City area. In August, US Wind announced ambitious plans to establish a manufacturing operation and steel plant at Tradepoint Atlantic, the site of a former Bethlehem Steel factory.

The Public Service Commission will hold a second virtual hearing on the two wind companies’ bids to expand offshore wind on Thursday at 6 p.m. The commission will take written testimony on the proposals until Nov. 19. The agency has promised to make a decision on the bids by Dec. 18.

By Josh Kurtz

Testing the Waters Among GOP Insiders, Steele Finds the Temperature Just Right

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Former Republican National Committee chairman and Lt. Governor Michael Steele acknowledged he didn’t know what sort of reception he would get at a high-profile social event in Ocean City on Thursday.

For Maryland politicos who are even half paying attention, the reasons for his apprehension are obvious.

Steele committed an act of apostasy last year when he endorsed Joe Biden over Donald Trump, a man who retains significant support with rank-and-file GOP voters, despite his role in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and other misdeeds.

To make matters worse, perhaps, he remains a regular presence on the network conservatives dislike most, MSNBC.

It turns out Steele need not have worried about how he would be greeted by people attending state Senator J.B. Jennings’ “Sunset Cocktail Reception” in Ocean City on Thursday.

The event, at Ropewalk on Coastal Highway, was one of many social events occurring in concert with the Maryland Association of Counties’ annual summer conference.

But it attracted an A-list crowd that included Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) and members of his cabinet, legislators from both parties, former Ocean City Mayor Jim Mathias, one potential rival in next year’s Republican gubernatorial primary, and scores of others.

Former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, a potential Republican gubernatorial candidate, and Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz, a declared candidate for the position, chat at an Ocean City reception. Photo by Bruce DePuyt.

Steele was greeted enthusiastically by seemingly everyone he encountered, enjoying pre-pandemic levels of hugging, back-slapping, reminiscing and laughter.

“It’s nice to walk back into a space where you meet up with old friends,” Steele said. “You see some folks who are working for the other teams, and you’re like, ‘okay, but we’ve got good history.’ So, it’s good. It’s all good.”

Steele advisor Jim Dornan said the former lieutenant governor avoided awkwardness — or outright hostility — due to his “ability to connect with people in an incredible way.”

“Obviously you walk into something like this, with all the history, and you wonder if it’s going to be a great reception, a good reception or a not-so-great reception,” he said. “[We were] a little nervous to start, of course. You can’t deny that. But it goes to Michael’s strength as a personality.”

“He walks into a room and the whole place lights up.”

Being able to survive a cocktail reception at the beach is no predictor of how the Republican primary will shake out.

Steele has formed an exploratory committee as he decides whether to take on a trio of announced candidates, Hogan Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz, Trump supporter and state delegate Dan Cox, and Robin Ficker, an anti-tax activist and frequent office-seeker.

Although he made history in 2003 when he took office as the first African-American ever elected statewide, it is by no means clear that there is a lane for someone who turned on a sitting president from his own party.

Schulz’s campaign has been criticized for its slow start, but she has numerous built-in advantages. Running with the support of many members of Hogan’s political team, she is expected to report robust fundraising at the next campaign finance deadline.

In an interview, Schulz brushed aside Steele’s “theatrics.”

“The more, the merrier,” she said of his potential candidacy.

“My strategy is to tell Marylanders every single good thing about what’s happening in our campaign and our message and our vision. And I am not distracted by anybody else’s theatrics,” Schulz said. “I’m focused on the mission and the vision of my team.”

Brimming With Confidence, Franchot Lays Out Plans to “Reinvent” Maryland

Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D) pledged Thursday to hit the ground running if elected governor next year — adding 100,000 new jobs in his first two years, luring out-of-state students to Maryland colleges, boosting access to health care services and “liberating” teachers from standardized tests.

Franchot offered a laundry list of promises during remarks at a mid-afternoon fundraiser in Ocean City, where state and local leaders are attending the Maryland Association of Counties’ summer convention.

Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D) spoke at a fundraiser for his gubernatorial bid Thursday in Ocean City. Photo by Hannah Gaskill.

His platform, contained in a glossy 20-page booklet, copies of which were spread across the tables, would “reinvent” and “reimagine” the state.

The event was held at Liquid Assets, a retail store, bar and restaurant on Coastal Highway, with approximately 100 people in attendance.

The state’s four-term tax collector said his administration would spend its first three months focused on the basics.

“We’re going to fix every pothole on every state road, we’re going to pick up the trash along every state road and we’re going to have every state agency answer the damn phone,” he said to applause.

Then, he pledged, the state would embark on a multi-pronged plan to improve health care by establishing clinics within a 15-minute drive for rural residents or a 15-minute walk for people who live in urban areas.

Maryland would pay the tuition debt of any out-of-state student who attends a state college or university, provided they live here for five years after graduation, he added. And he would fund a national ad campaign to promote tourism.

Franchot was introduced by Salisbury Mayor Jake Day (D).

The gathering included Sen. Jill Carter (D-Baltimore), Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (D), Del. Pam Queen (D-Montgomery) and former Ocean City Mayor Jim Mathias.

“People all over the state tell me, ‘We know you, we’ve seen you, you’ve visited,’” Franchot said.

He had a simple message to supporters: “A) You have my personal cell phone number. B) I’m gonna win. C) You’re going to come with me. Everybody in this room is going to come with me to the mansion.

Rice and responsibilities

Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice (D) was walking through the convention center in Ocean City on Thursday, resplendent in a seersucker jacket, bowtie and white pants.

Rice’s plans for 2022 and beyond are a source of great speculation in political circles these days. He’s term-limited after three terms on the county council but hasn’t ruled out running for another office next year. He could also snag a high-profile appointment if there’s a Democratic governor in 2023.

“There’s a multitude of opportunities,” he said.

For now, Rice is focusing on his council duties — and his new, yearlong gig as chair of the National Association of Counties Human Services and Education Steering Committee.

Rice said it gives him an opportunity to focus on the issues he’s prioritized in local government, like more education funding, greater spending on social programs, and expanded broadband, but at a national scale. He’ll spend a lot of time testifying on Capitol Hill on NACo priorities, and also will travel around the country to address advocacy groups and meet with like-minded colleagues.

Rice noted that he was assigned to the county council’s human services and education committee when he was first elected. “I feel like I’ve come full circle.”

As for his political strategy, Rice said he expected to have it sorted out and be able to say something publicly “sooner rather than later.”

By Bruce DePuyt and Josh Kurtz

Top Developer Submits Bid for Second Phase of Offshore Wind Project in Maryland

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The Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted announced Wednesday that it has submitted a bid to generate up to 760 megawatts of power with a proposed second offshore wind project off the coast of Maryland. 

The project, called Skipjack Wind 2, is in response to the Maryland Public Service Commission’s call for proposals for a second round of offshore wind projects in federal waters off the Maryland coast. 

The Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2019 expanded Maryland’s renewable portfolio standard to require that utilities get 50% of the electricity they sell to consumers from renewable sources by 2030. More specifically, it directed the Public Service Commission — which regulates the state’s energy utilities — to find “Round 2” offshore wind projects that could provide at least 1,200 megawatts of power by 2030. 

The application period for this round closed on June 21, and the PSC’s consultant, ICF, has 30 days to review applications. The bids are confidential until then, according to Tori Leonard, spokeswoman for the PSC. It is unclear if any other companies besides Ørsted have submitted a bid for this round of offshore wind projects. 

After the consultant reports to the PSC, the commission will review all applications and award offshore renewable energy credits to a project or projects for this round by Dec. 18, Leonard said. 

Ørsted’s new project proposal would power over 250,000 homes in the Delmarva Peninsula, according to the company’s announcement. 

“Ørsted is privileged to already be a long-term partner to the state of Maryland as it works to meet its offshore wind goals,” David Hardy, CEO of Ørsted Offshore North America, said in a statement. 

“We are proud to build, own, and operate wind farms across the world and will bring that same approach to Maryland. As such, these at least 30-year commitments we are making to the state are designed to provide long-term benefits to all of the communities that will be home to our facilities. In continuing to deliver on our commitments now, and well into the future, we will ensure that Maryland’s offshore wind industry will thrive for decades to come,” he continued. 

In 2013, the General Assembly passed legislation enabling offshore wind development and the Maryland PSC was designated by the federal government to award leases for offshore wind developments in federal waters. The commission finally approved two projects off the coast of Ocean City in 2017. 

Ørsted is in the middle of developing one of these projects, called Skipjack Wind 1, which is to the north of Ocean City and about 19 miles off the coast. It could power 40,000 homes in the Delmarva Peninsula and is slated to start operating by 2026, company officials have said. 

This project is currently under review for final approval by the federal government, as is the MarWin project by US Wind, which would generate 240 megawatts of power — enough to power almost 80,000 for a year. It is 17 miles off the coast of Maryland and tentatively slated to start operating in 2024. 

These projects would run cables under the ocean, connect to the electric grid on land and provide electricity to Maryland utilities, helping the state depend less on fossil fuels and reach its goal of net-zero emissions by 2045. 

Both projects have generated controversy in Ocean City, particularly among political and business leaders who believe views of wind turbines from the beach could hurt tourism and the real estate industry. But many other leaders in Delmarva believe the wind industry could be a powerful economic driver for the region.

Ørsted said it would host a virtual open house on its proposal to build a second phase of the offshore wind project on the evening of July 19.

By Elizabeth Shwe

Hogan Signs Regional Compact to Promote Offshore Wind — But Md. Projects Move Slowly

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The headline news is that the governors of Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia signed a compact on Thursday to collaborate and advance offshore wind projects and to promote the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast as hubs for the industry.

In reality, it’s another twist in the tortured debate over bringing wind turbines to Maryland’s waters.

The announcement by Maryland Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) of his pact with Virginia Gov. Ralph S. Northam (D) and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) was pure Hogan, on-brand with his oft-repeated message of bipartisanship and collaboration.

“Maryland has been leading the charge when it comes to real, bipartisan, common sense solutions and we are proud to continue setting an example for the nation of bold environmental leadership,” Hogan said in his statement. “Joining this multi-state partnership to expand offshore wind development will further our strong record of supporting responsible energy projects that provide jobs, clean air benefits, and energy independence.”

Creation of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Regional Transformative Partnership for Offshore Wind Energy Resources (SMART-POWER) provides a framework for the three states to cooperatively promote, develop and expand offshore wind by removing regulatory burdens and providing economic incentives for the industry and related construction and supply operations.

It’s a nod to the potential of offshore wind energy at a time when states are scrambling for economic rejuvenation and job growth and are feeling intense pressure to address climate change.

“Harnessing the power of offshore wind is key to meeting the urgency of the climate crisis and achieving 100% clean energy by 2050,” Northam said.

The governors cited a U.S. Department of Energy study estimating that Atlantic Coast offshore wind projects could support up to 86,000 jobs, $57 billion in investments, and provide up to $25 billion in economic output by 2030. Virginia leaders in particular have aggressively promoted offshore wind in recent years, and the state’s largest power company, Dominion Energy, signaled this year that it plans to put more resources into developing its clean energy portfolio.

In a statement, the Sierra Club hailed the agreement.

“This partnership between Mid-Atlantic States is only the start of unlocking the region’s massive potential for clean affordable offshore wind energy,” said David Smedick, the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal senior campaign representative. “The region must move quickly to attract investment in this burgeoning industry and help ensure we bring clean energy and family-sustaining, union jobs to Maryland.”

But Hogan’s own record and rhetoric on two long-proposed offshore wind projects off the coast of Ocean City have been decidedly mixed — and some environmental groups have grumbled for years that he and his administration could be doing more to promote offshore wind. A year ago, when the Maryland Department of Environment issued a detailed draft proposal about how the state would reduce greenhouse emissions, environmentalists and their allies in the General Assembly argued that offshore wind notably received short shrift — a contention that state Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles pushed back on.

Maryland has two offshore wind projects under review by the U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The Skipjack Wind Farm Project, to be built by Ørsted Offshore North American, is set to be located 19.5 miles off the coast of the northern part of Ocean City and adjoining Delaware beach towns.

Also under consideration is the MarWin Wind Farm project, which would be situated roughly 17 miles off the Ocean City coast, proposed by U.S. Wind.

Both projects were enabled by the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013, which was heavily promoted by then-Gov. Martin J. O’Malley (D) and passed by the Democratic supermajorities in the General Assembly after a years-long legislative fight. But after receiving approval from the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) in 2017, the wind projects have proceeded at a sluggish pace — and amid increasing vocal opposition from political and business leaders in Ocean City, Maryland’s No. 1 tourist town.

Ocean City hired Bruce C. Bereano — arguably the most enthusiastic Hogan supporter in the Annapolis lobbying corps — to try to derail the proposals or push them farther offshore, and hired Timothy F. Maloney, a former state lawmaker and close Hogan friend, for some legal work related to the wind turbines, even though Maloney had no prior experience arguing cases before the PSC.

In the past year, Ørsted has had to fend off a challenge in the PSC after the company announced that it would be using larger turbines than it had originally said it would — to meet changing standards in the industry. The PSC, whose commissioners all have been appointed by Hogan, could have simply noted the change but instead initiated a lengthy hearing process to gauge community opinion — a process endorsed by the Hogan-controlled Maryland Energy Administration.

In August, the PSC signed off on Ørsted’s bigger turbines, at the MEA’s recommendation. But the PSC proceeding may have delayed the project’s completion by almost a year.

Without knowing how long the federal regulatory process will take — and the outcome of the presidential election could make a difference — both Ørsted and U.S. Wind said they hope to turn the turbines on in 2023, which seems like an optimistic estimate.

Both Ørsted and U.S. Wind issued statements Thursday that applauded the three-state wind energy compact.

Brady Walker, Ørsted’s Mid-Atlantic manager, hailed the governors’ “forward-thinking approach,” and said the company is “excited to engage with their effort to grow this new American industry.”

Salvo Vitale, the U.S. Wind country manager, said the agreement will be good for both Maryland and the region.

“We believe this strategic multi-state partnership will be critical leverage right now as many regions compete to attract the larger economic development that comes with the full offshore wind manufacturing supply-chain,” he said. “Locally based supply chain options will bring cost savings to Maryland rate-payers as we expand offshore wind development. We stand ready to be a creative and dynamic partner, with global expertise, as we work together to meet Maryland’s renewable energy goals, while creating high-quality jobs and driving significant local investment in the Baltimore area and across Maryland.”

Notably, neither company said Thursday’s announcement would improve the prospects for their projects in Maryland’s waters.

By Josh Kurtz

Ocean City Mayhem Prompts Call for Law Enforcement Protections Under Hate Crimes Law

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Videos recorded by onlookers standing along Ocean City’s Coastal Highway over the weekend show a dystopian scene: smoke from burning tires and fireworks fill the air while tangles of police officers and civilians wrestle in the middle of the highway as onlookers throw trash and chant.

“In all honesty, a photo doesn’t do it justice,” said Del. Wayne Hartman (R-Lower Shore). “You really can’t describe what was going on in Ocean City unless you were there seeing it firsthand.”

It was the aftermath of an unofficial, unsanctioned “pop-up” event called H2Oi — and the sounds of engines and squealing tires can be heard even in the recesses of neighborhoods, blocks away from the main drag of Coastal Highway.

Hartman rode alongside Ocean City police officers Friday and with Worcester County Sherrif’s deputies Saturday, hoping to see the effect of the emergency legislation he co-sponsored this year with Sen. Mary Beth Carrozza (R-Lower Shore).

The new law allows law enforcement officers in Worcester County to make misdemeanor arrests during motor vehicle weekend events — sanctioned or unsanctioned — making “exhibition driving,” like the tire-spinning burnouts, drag racing and engine revving subject to fines or even jail time if committed in special event zones.

Hartman told Maryland Matters in a phone interview that the law deterred some poor behavior — especially earlier in the week. But it wasn’t as effective as he would have hoped.

“Unfortunately, most of the night was spent with crowd control,” Hartman explained.

He described hordes of people “moving in mobs … probably approaching 1,000, if not more,” hurling cups, cans, bottles — anything within reach — at law enforcement officers.

“Landscaping rocks were used and being thrown at us,” said Hartman. “Roman candles were being directed and shot at the officers — fireworks going off all around them.”

He said back-up was requested from law enforcement agencies in surrounding municipalities and counties.

“It was a scene that you would never, never expect,” Hartman said.

Last Tuesday, the town of Ocean City was declared a “special events zone.” Under Carrozza and Hartman’s law, this applies to sanctioned or unsanctioned events that anticipate 1,000 or more participants, and allows law enforcement officers to lower speed limits, hand out citations, issue fines and arrest drivers.

Additionally, the town issued a local ordinance to allow these vehicles to be towed and impounded.

In a statement Monday, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) thanked 16 “allied state and local law enforcement agencies” that assisted the Ocean City Police Department over the weekend. Hogan said that, overall, police issued over 3,500 citations, completed around 2,500 traffic stops and that more than 350 cars were towed and impounded.

“This is not a car show and the majority of these visitors are not car enthusiasts. They are here to disrupt, destroy and disrespect our community and our law enforcement officers,” Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro said in a statement released Sunday. “Our policing philosophy is to be friendly, fair and firm. Unfortunately, the disorderly behavior and unruly crowds left no choice but to shift our philosophy and take additional steps to protect our officers and our community.”

In a news release sent Monday afternoon, Carozza said that she would continue to work with law enforcement and lawmakers to craft legislation aimed at people who come to Maryland’s beach town to wreak havoc.

“I believe we need to allow our professional law enforcement leaders to assess the weekend, conduct their after action review, and hear their specific recommendations for the future with the input and support of the public,” Carozza said in a statement.

The official H2O International event, once traditionally held in Ocean City, moved to Atlantic City, N.J., in 2018. But swarms of people in loud, modified cars have continued coming to the beach town every September.

“These people aren’t here as car enthusiasts,” Hartman said, adding that he never thought the event was “good.” He even sought to mitigate its harmful effects as a member of the Ocean City Town Council.

Now, Hartman says there’s less “motor vehicle lawlessness” — which he credits in part to the 2020 emergency legislation — but he’s seen first-hand another growing problem: a lack of respect for police officers. And he’s not interested in sitting idly by while it continues.

Hartman told Maryland Matters that he plans to introduce a bill during the 2021 legislative session that would qualify police as a protected class under the state’s hate crimes law.

“What these officers experienced was definitely violence against a certain group or class of people,” he said. “And, you know, I think we need to start doing something to protect them. In this case, we’ll be stiffening the penalties and adding additional charges for that type of behavior to law enforcement.”

He clarified that his forthcoming legislation would protect all first responders across the state, year-round, including fire and emergency medical services personnel.

Maryland’s current hate crime statute protects individuals from crimes rooted in discrimination against their race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, disability and displacement.

No profession is protected under the state’s hate crime law.

Hartman said that the aggressive, sometimes violent, behavior towards the police at this event isn’t new, but he attributes it, in part, to the political climate.

In the wake of 2020’s nationally reported incidents of police brutality, protests have popped up denouncing law enforcement, which have come with calls for defunding, and, in some cases, abolishing police departments.

Hartman’s legislation, if introduced, would likely be at odds with a series of bills introduced last week by members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, including one seeking to limit special protections officers receive under the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, among other proposed changes.

Carozza said in a statement that she supports Hartman’s legislation.

“I will continue to do all I can to support law enforcement and make public safety my top priority, especially at a time when the Maryland General Assembly has been holding anti-police hearings in Annapolis and considering legislation that would weaken law enforcement,” she said.

But for Hartman, it addresses years of blatant disregard he’s seen for law enforcement — especially at this local, unsanctioned event.

“This particular group of people have proven year after year that there’s a large contingency of them that just have no respect for law enforcement; have no respect or regard for law and order; and, you know, they come down here and start trouble,” he said, pointing specifically to a 2014 incident reported by Delmarva Now where two men were booked for assaulting a police horse.

“This behavior isn’t new,” Hartman told Maryland Matters Monday. “It’s just intensified and I think we need to meet it with additional assets.”

By Hannah Gaskill

Ocean City Beaches to Reopen to the Public on Saturday

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As beach communities around the world struggle to decide when it’s safe to allow people to venture back to the water, the mayor of Ocean City has decided to reopen his town’s famous beach this weekend.

Mayor Richard W. Meehan signed a declaration Monday that will open the beach and boardwalk starting Saturday.

Though the town draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the Mid-Atlantic region each summer, people who live outside Ocean City are being encouraged to abide by the state’s travel restrictions.

“The declaration to open Ocean City’s beach and boardwalk, and inlet parking lot, on Saturday, May 9, is simply to give a way for individuals to have more opportunities to go outside and enjoy the fresh air, while still adhering to all social distancing guidelines and gathering limits,” Meehan told reporters on a video chat Tuesday.

“None of that has changed.”

States and localities from Florida to California, and around the world, have wrestled with the decision to reopen beaches. The question takes on growing urgency as temperatures warm and people grow restless from weeks of being cooped up at home.

During Monday’s meeting with the Town of Ocean City’s council and again on Tuesday, Meehan stressed that the change in policy “does not supersede” the travel restrictions that Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) imposed in March, at the beginning of the epidemic.

“You should only travel to Ocean City if doing so would not be in violation of the governor’s specific stay-at-home order,” the mayor told reporters.

Nevertheless, Meehan’s comments at Monday’s council meeting made it clear that Ocean City leaders favor a much speedier approach to lifting restrictions on social interaction and commerce than Hogan.

The mayor said he and the governor spoke for about 30 minutes on Friday. During the call, Hogan expressed a desire to coordinate the opening of Maryland’s beaches with neighboring Delaware and Virginia, Meehan said.

Delaware’s mayors “are not going to be opening up their beaches until after Memorial Day or June 1,” said Meehan. “I said to the governor, ‘That doesn’t really work for us.’”

While he agreed with the general idea that reopening the economy should come in stages, Ocean City needs to begin the process this week, the mayor said.

“I think there are certain components of our plan and his plan we can coordinate, but I think we need a phased-in opening in Ocean City, and I think we need to do it sooner rather than later, and I explained that,” Meehan said.

The mayor said he’s confident that the vast majority of residents and visitors will take recommended precautions.

“If you go to the grocery store, people are wearing masks. You see people social distancing. … So I really think we’ve come a long way.”

The Eastern Shore has a large and growing COVID-19 infection rate, one of the nation’s largest. It is clustered mostly around the region’s poultry processing plants, local officials have said.

But Meehan said the decisions about whether to travel — and what precautions to take — are “personal.”

“We have to look at what’s best for us and what’s best for our families,” he said.

Meehan said those who live elsewhere will not be turned away. “There will be no police officers patrolling for license plates,” Meehan said. “That’s not going to be the case here in Ocean City.”

Business owners in beach communities have a limited window to make the money they will need to survive the long off-season. But popular beaches like Ocean City bring huge crowds into close proximity to one another. Health experts have said that what makes COVID-19 so deadly is its relative ease of transmission from person to person.

Meehan stressed that non-essential businesses along the boardwalk will be closed, as will hotels and short-term rentals. The town of Ocean City has extended its restrictions on lodging until May 22, the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

“The only thing that will really be open on the boardwalk will be some of the carryout restaurants,” he said. “This is strictly to open up the right-of-way along the boardwalk and along the beach.”

Meehan’s decision to reopen the beach appears to have caught many in Ocean City by surprise. OceanCity.com, the town’s tourism site, said on Tuesday it had reached out to local leaders for “additional clarity.”

Reaction on social media was decidedly mixed. Many town residents expressed concern about large crowds; others supported the decision to get back to normal.

“Protecting public health and the economy have to be considered jointly. They have to be symbiotic,” said former Ocean City mayor and ex-state Sen. James C. Mathias (D).

He said that reopening “must take into consideration” the views of the health department, local hospitals and first-responders — particularly since the Lower Shore has become a novel coronavirus “hot spot.”

“We are going to reopen. We will figure this out. What we have to do is figure out how to do it as safely as possible,” Mathias added.

Travis Brown, the public affairs officer for the Worcester County Health Department, refused to say whether the mayor consulted with the county’s health officer before announcing his decision.

Meehan said the governor is likely to discuss when Maryland can begin to dial back restrictions some time this week. Hogan has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday afternoon at the State House.

“The governor asked me, ‘Do you think you’ll have any problems?’ and I said yes. Because with anything you do, there will be some challenges. I believe most people will adhere to social distancing.”

While there may be “2%” who don’t cooperate, Meehan said, “We’re all going to have to work around them a little bit if we have to, because this is what’s best for the majority.”

By Bruce DePuyt