Did You Know? Ocean City & Worcester County Are Spending Over $15 Million in Your Tax Dollars to Fight Offshore Wind

Written By jeanne mccann

Marylanders deserve transparency, accountability, and real investment in our future—not taxpayer-funded opposition to a clean energy solution.

While families across Maryland face rising energy bills and the growing impacts of climate change—like higher home insurance bills, more extreme and more frequent storms and flooding—Ocean City and Worcester County are busy spending more than $15 million in taxpayer dollars to block offshore wind — a clean, job-creating energy solution for our state.

Instead of investing in schools, public safety, or community infrastructure, these local governments are using your tax dollars to bankroll a political campaign opposing US Wind’s offshore wind project. The bulk of this money is being funneled to a relatively new 501(c)(4) organization called “Stop Offshore Wind,” which is leading a high-profile PR and lobbying effort.

How Much of Your Tax Dollars Are They Spending?

  • Up to $200,000 (February 2025):
    Paid by Ocean City and Worcester County to Stop Offshore Wind, which contracted with Bedrock Advocacy to run an out of state public relations campaign targeting Sussex County, Delaware permitting agencies and swaying public opinion.

  • $100,000 (July 2025):
    Approved by Ocean City to extend its contract with Stop Offshore Wind, funding more digital ads, billboards, and public outreach.

  • $100,000 (July 2025):
    Approved by Worcester County as additional funding for the Stop Offshore Wind campaign.

  • Up to $15 million (February 2025):
    Separately, Worcester County set aside funding for a potential eminent domain fight to block US Wind from using a harbor site — an aggressive legal maneuver that could burn millions in public funds.

Note: This list does not include any private donations made to the “Stop Offshore Wind” organization. According to public reporting, these private dollars may have been matched dollar-for-dollar by Ocean City or Worcester County — meaning the true scale of the campaign could be far larger than what’s currently documented.

What Are You Actually Paying For?

Public funding has supported a sweeping campaign that includes:

  • Paid billboards and radio ads

  • A professionally designed website and social media campaign

  • Mailers, robocalls, and phone banks

  • Lobbying in Annapolis and Washington, D.C.

  • Appearances at public events designed to stir opposition to offshore wind

This is a coordinated political effort — and taxpayers—YOU—are footing the bill.

Is This How Our Public Dollars Should Be Spent?

Offshore wind offers Maryland a pathway to cleaner air, new jobs, and long-term savings on our energy bills. And recent polling by the Republican polling firm Tarrance Group found that 70% of Marylanders favor the construction of offshore wind projects to harness wind energy off the coast of Maryland.

But Ocean City and Worcester County are using public money to stand in the way—propping up a political organization and legal strategy with a multimillion-dollar price tag.

jeanne mccann