OFFSHORE DRILLING AND SEISMIC AIRGUNSIn 2015-2016, ACT led the successful effort in Maryland and Delaware to generate opposition to the federal government's proposal to open the mid- and south-Atlantic coastal waters to offshore oil and gas development. Through our efforts to encourage others to submit comments on the proposed plan, we were the 12th highest referral source in the country. We also were instrumental in getting all coastal municipalities in MD and DE to pass resolutions opposing seismic surveys and offshore drilling. Learn more here.
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In consideration of the enormous potential benefits to the health of the coastal bays watershed, ACT supports the responsible development of offshore wind energy infrastructure that is carefully sited to minimize potential impacts to the ocean’s biological and physical resources.
The Delmarva coast has significant potential to produce energy from wind, and a growing number of government agencies and citizens support the capture of that potential energy. Local wind energy has the potential to reduce air pollutants from conventional electricity generation, such as coal-fired power plants, which currently degrade the coastal bays watershed. Wind farm infrastructure, such as turbine foundations, may serve as an artificial reef, increasing abundance and diversity of species through increased availability of shelter, habitat, and food.
Read a 2020 FAQ document on offshore wind development in Maryland and Delaware that ACT compiled with the University of Delaware's Center For Research In Wind, HERE.
The Delmarva coast has significant potential to produce energy from wind, and a growing number of government agencies and citizens support the capture of that potential energy. Local wind energy has the potential to reduce air pollutants from conventional electricity generation, such as coal-fired power plants, which currently degrade the coastal bays watershed. Wind farm infrastructure, such as turbine foundations, may serve as an artificial reef, increasing abundance and diversity of species through increased availability of shelter, habitat, and food.
Read a 2020 FAQ document on offshore wind development in Maryland and Delaware that ACT compiled with the University of Delaware's Center For Research In Wind, HERE.
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
Since 2007, your Assateague Coastkeeper has fought the environmental and social devastation caused by industrialized agriculture, helping to protect rural communities and watersheds by promoting the security of family-owned, sustainable farms, and working to prevent the spread of factory-style intensely developed Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) into communities.
Today we support the Fair Farms movement, and together we will work to change more than just farming practices – we need to change the whole system. From science based limits on pollution to real enforcement of those limits, we must build a system that accelerates a better food future for Maryland.
Today we support the Fair Farms movement, and together we will work to change more than just farming practices – we need to change the whole system. From science based limits on pollution to real enforcement of those limits, we must build a system that accelerates a better food future for Maryland.
PROTECTING OUR CRITICAL AREA BUFFERS
Our ecologically sensitive shorelines are not being adequately protected and the diminished water quality of our Coastal Bays reflect this. Our waterways belong to everyone and to no one, so we should all be concerned when State and local government seem to favor one property owner’s rights over the right of everyone to swimmable-fishable water.
The Maryland Critical Area Law is clear in that its purpose is to protect water quality and habitat. Today, with the onset of sea level rise, more frequent major storms and their storm surges, it is imperative we protect our critical area buffers, our wetlands and our marshes, for these are the first line of defense, protecting our communities.
The Maryland Critical Area Law is clear in that its purpose is to protect water quality and habitat. Today, with the onset of sea level rise, more frequent major storms and their storm surges, it is imperative we protect our critical area buffers, our wetlands and our marshes, for these are the first line of defense, protecting our communities.
