By: JonBell April 12th, 2008 Category: Garrett County News

Governor Martin O’Malley held a news conference in the Savage River State Forest this morning to announce that his administration will not allow commercial wind turbines to be built on Maryland State Forest Land. O’Malley Stated that “While we must continue to explore and make progress on creating a more sustainable and independent energy future for Maryland, we will not do so at the expense of the special lands we hold in the public trust”

The debate to build wind turbines in Garrett State forest became popular to all Maryland Residents when the Baltimore Sun published its Dec 6th 2007 article stating “A Pennsylvania company is asking the O’Malley administration for leases in two Western Maryland state forests so it can clear up to 400 mountaintop acres to build about 100 wind turbines.”

After today’s news conference David Dishneau of WTOPnews.com wrote that “Opponents had claimed that allowing 40-story windmills on state-owned land in mountainous western Maryland would reduce its recreational value, spoil the landscape and lower property values, especially in the thriving Deep Creek Lake resort area of Garrett County.”

Click here to read the full WTOPnews.com article.