Senator Coons met today with two groups working to preserve Delaware’s coastal region: the University of Delaware Lewes campus and the Delaware Center for Inland Bays – one of only two National Estuary Programs in the state.
In the morning, Chris attended the Delaware Center for Inland Bays quarterly board meeting to listen to the board’s comments and concerns regarding protection of the Inland Bays and their watershed, which consists of 320 square miles and whose bays and tributaries cover about 32 square miles. One of the issues discussed during the meeting was a recent Supreme Court ruling that denied the states the right to require buffer strips of vegetation along waterways.
Chris discussed finding the balance between our valuable agriculture community and regional environmental concerns and answered on protecting the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as well as the related federal budget issues for National Estuary Programs.
Chris’ next stop was at the University of Delaware’s Lewes campus, where he met with Dean Targett, professors Jeremy Firestone and Willett Kempton and several graduate students to discuss the University’s renewable energy initiative and research. The faculty discussed the potential for wind energy as a successful and profitable renewable energy resource.
The University’s on-shore wind turbine, located on its Lewes campus, stands 400 feet tall and went operational in June 2010. The turbine provides most of the power for the Lewes campus and feeds to the electric grid in the surrounding area. This was the Chris’ third visit to the Lewes campus since its turbine was installed.