A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Maryland's first commercial wind farm was interrupted by protesters Tuesday morning, the Cumberland Times-News reports.
The $140 million project, which was developed by Constellation Energy, includes 28 wind turbines on Backbone Mountain. Members of Save Western Maryland filed a lawsuit against Constellation last year over alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act. The group agreed to delay a trial until 2012 so that the company can obtain necessary permits.
About 50 community members and government officials gathered for the ceremony. Supporters of the project noted the benefits of the project, including the employment of 200 people during peak construction.
‘Constellation's been a good community partner, a good corporate citizen, since they've been here,’ Garrett County Chamber of Commerce President Nicole Christian told the Cumberland Times-News.
