US Wind Seeks To Buy Beach Mayors Silence! More Secret Beach Town Windfarm Meetings This Week!

Updated: Apr 26

The Association of Coastal Towns (ACT) are required to give a 7 day notice for Special Meetings. But it doesn't say HOW they provide this notification. Apparently 5 southern Delaware beach town mayors have acted in less than an open and transparent manner and have given the minimum 7 day notice of Special Meetings regarding US Wind "donations" to each town and how this will be tied to DNREC's withdrawal of financial support of beach replenishment to the towns.

If you don't want foreign owned offshore Windfarms at our Delaware beaches, that will compromise our national safety, have the ability to shut down our power grid, not to mention the long-term if not permanent damage to this fragile ecosystem, that kills whales, birds and fish, here's your chance to walk the walk now and show up for these meetings. Here is the latest list of ACT meetings that we have knowledge of:

Rehoboth Beach

Monday, January 8, Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners is meeting at Rehoboth Beach City hall, second floor at 9:00 a.m.

Done, please email Stan Mills smills@cityofrehoboth.com with your concerns.

South Bethany, is having their Special Meeting on Wednesday, Jan 10, at

the South Bethany Town Hall, 402 Evergreen Road, Bethany, at 10:00 a.m.

Bethany Beach's Special Meeting is Friday, January 12, 2:00 p.m. at the Bethany Beach Town Hall, Meeting Room.

RECAP OF STORY

The Bethany Beach Town Council is holding a Special Meeting regarding the foreign owned US Wind offshore windfarms, that is receiving very little attention, this Friday, January 12th, at the Bethany Beach Town Hall Meeting Room, at 2:00 p.m. Please plan to attend this meeting!

US Wind is proposing a measly $100,000 per year to each Delaware beach town that accepts their offer, aka bribe money, to stay silent and not protest the devastating consequences to the environment, to our military security, to our fishing industry and to our pocketbooks, of bringing offshore windfarms to the coast of Delaware.

Governor Carney and DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin are 100% committed to selling off the most precious natural resource that Delaware has, our coastline, to foreign entities, and in my opinion, there is no amount of letter writing, petitions, or fact checking that will make them turn their course away from selling out and sacrificing our coast. But what many may not realize, is that the mayors of our coastal beach towns, still have a powerful voice and ability to impede the juggernaut of US Wind and stop US Wind from coming ashore to Delaware. Citizens who care about our marine life, national security and fishing industry should focus their attention on these beach town mayors, and the deals they are making, without the knowledge or input from their constituents and the public.

The Southern Delaware beach town mayors are now in the process of falling like dominoes, accepting payments from US Wind to their towns, in exchange for their silence. There's the carrot. But there is also a big stick that is being applied to bear against them as well. The State of Delaware is letting the small beach towns know that the State may no longer cover a portion of the cost of beach replenishment projects, and that the small beach towns will have to pick up that cost, never mind that the beaches are public to not only the whole state, but to the nation as well. In this way, the State is "encouraging" the beach town mayors to take the bait money from US Wind, or else cough up much larger expenditures in the form of beach replenishment requirements. Carrot, stick. Stick, carrot.

Who Pays For Beach Nourishment Now?

For beach nourishment projects in Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island, the towns known as the Association of Coastal Towns (A.C.T.), projects are cost shared with the federal government (70%) via the US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE), and (30%) with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). In order to be part of a project in which the USACE is involved, the beach must also meet certain public accessibility requirements, which these beaches do. It is clear that these beaches are not only accessible to the greater public but are also a huge financial benefit to the State as well. In 2021 the tourism industry generated $620 million in tax revenue. Without tourism, each Delaware household would pay an additional $1,608 in taxes - Visit Delaware.com. A report from 2012 showed that Beach communities and surrounding areas support 59,000 jobs and $711 million in tax revenue, ranking the coast-related economy on par with agriculture among the state’s top industries and that Coast-related activity provides more than 10 percent of the state’s total employment, taxes and business production.

DNREC Threatening to Withdraw Beach Replenishment Funding

But now DNREC is threatening to withdraw their portion of beach replenishment and to shift this burden onto the A.C.T. beach towns, despite the huge benefit to the State. DNREC announced a new study that will explore the economic benefits of beach nourishment, as well as search for new ways to fund the projects.

Right now, state and federal taxes cover the project, but DNREC says due to increased demand and rising costs, it may become difficult to pay for it. Jan 2, 2024 DNREC. "Due to rising demands and costs associated with beach nourishment, in the future DNREC will likely struggle to be able to sustain the current level of beach nourishment at current levels of funding."

So Which Delaware Beach Town Mayors Are Caving?

Here are the A.C.T beach mayors decisions so far. Please email these mayors and let them know how you feel about their decisions!

City of Lewes

Mayor Andrew Williams

Email: awilliams@ci.lewes.de.us

Refusing US Wind Bribe - Thank you, Mayor Williams!

The Mayor and City Council meets regularly at 6:30 p.m. on the second Monday of every month. Special meetings may occur and are posted under Agendas and Minutes.

City of Rehoboth Beach

Mayor Stan Mills

Email: smills@cityofrehoboth.com