The panel won't issue a formal recommendation until this summer, but after a second meeting last week in Raleigh, the panel has issued provisional maps that show much of the state's ocean waters as being unsuitable for offshore wind farms.
The task force will likely meet again in June.
According to the Charlotte Observer newspaper, which serves the state’s largest metropolitan area, the task force has eliminated from consideration large swaths of the Atlantic Ocean for military operations, fish habitats and bird migratory patterns.
All told, the newspaper said, the panel has scaled back an area of 10,564 square miles down to 3,679 miles, and the mapping project is still ongoing.
Still to be taken up are concerns from the National Park Service. The federal agency will assess one of the most contentious aspects of wind energy: the visual effects of the tower-mounted turbines that exceed 400 feet in height.
Experts said even at about 3,600 miles, the coastline available for development could still accommodate 50,000 MW of offshore wind development.
The current map shows potential areas for wind farm development as close as 4 miles to the shore. At that distance, the turbines would be visible from the beach, leading to potential objections from the tourist industry and local residents.
The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, the agency that issues oil drilling permits, will use the recommendation by its task force to determine which ocean waters are suitable for wind farm development.
The map will exclude areas that conflict with shipping routes, military operations, environmental concerns or other issues.
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