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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT
WHQR is your source for the 2015 Municipal Elections in the Cape Fear Region. We are bringing you the CoastLine Candidate Forums live from the MC Erny Gallery each Wednesday at noon from September 16th to October 28th as well as candidate profiles and general election coverage.Here's how you can participate:1. Be part of the live studio audience. Arrive at WHQR's MC Erny Gallery between 11:30 AM and 11:55 AM on the Wednesday of your municipality's race so you can settle before our hard start time of noon.As part of the audience, you'll have the opportunity to ask a question of the candidates.2. Send your question at any time to coastline@whqr.org. Just make sure it fits these basic guidelines: It's applicable to all the candidates in that race.It's in the form of a question.It fits within a 30-second time frame.We reserve the right to edit questions for broadcast standards and brevity.3. Tweet us during the live broadcast (12-1PM on Wednesdays) at coastlinehqr or email us during the broadcast at coastline@whqr.org.4. Stream the live radio signal from your computer. Just click the "Listen Live" button in the upper right-hand corner of the home page. It’s your town. Make your voice heard. THE 2015 COASTLINE CANDIDATE FORUM SCHEDULE:September 16, 12:00pm-1:00pm — Kure Beach Mayor & Town CouncilSeptember 23, 12:00pm-1:00pm — Oak Island MayorSeptember 30, 12:00pm-2:00pm — Oak Island Town CouncilOctober 7, 12:00pm-2:00pm — Wilmington City CouncilOctober 14, 12:00pm-2:00pm — Carolina Beach Town CouncilOctober 21, 12:00pm-1:00pm — Carolina Beach MayorOctober 28, 12:00pm-1:00pm — Leland Mayor & Town CouncilVoter Information:For more information about the 2015 election, voter registration, and polling places in your area visit the Board of Elections website for New Hanover County & Brunswick County.

Offshore Wind's Local Economic Impact Questionable, say Oak Island Mayoral Candidates

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management / T. J. Boyle and Associates
Visual Simulation of Wind Farms off the Oak Island shore in late afternoon.

While still years away, offshore wind farms are significantly closer to becoming reality off the North Carolina coast.  The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management recently completed its environmental assessment and will hold a Task Force meeting October 7th in Wilmington to consider next steps.  Two of the areas slated for wind are near the southeastern North Carolina coast. 

During a recent CoastLine Candidate Forum for Oak Island Mayor, here's what the four competitors had to say about the potential impact on their small coastal community. 

Richard D’Anjolell says he’d encourage wind farms over drilling for oil but wants to be sure Oak Island gets it share of revenue.

"Same thing with the jobs – we want to make sure that whatever jobs come in from those resources are something that will come to Oak Island and not just to the inner areas of Brunswick County."

Bill Moyer isn’t convinced offshore wind farms would have much positive economic impact on Oak Island.

"I would be anxious to see how close to coast these wind farms would be.  I’m all for environmentally friendly power sources; I’m just not sure that this is the most efficient way of doing it, and I’m not sure our tourists would like to see these big wind things if they’re that close to the shore."

Darrell Vickers says he’s only interested in what he calls the technology of the future.  To him, that’s hydroelectricity.

"There’s plenty of energy offshore, but it’s not in oil.  It’s not in natural gas.  And it’s not in the wind.  It’s in the ocean current.  The Gulf Stream flows up our coast at 4-6 nautical miles per hour and there is 800 times more energy in that current than there is in the same cross-section of a wind turbine."

The visibility of wind turbines wouldn’t hurt tourism according to Cin Brochure; in fact, she says, passing freighters are often a source of entertainment for observers. 

"The financial -- I’m not sure there’s any money.  I know the offshore drilling – I could never resolve it in my mind that we would gain anything financially from it – plus, I was so totally against it anyway."

The public meeting to discuss next steps on offshore wind is October 7th at the Coastline Conference Center on Nutt Street in downtown Wilmington.

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To hear the candidates for Oak Island Mayor on other issues, follow this link:

http://whqr.org/post/coastline-candidate-forum-oak-island-mayor

Tune in Wednesday, September 30th at noon for the CoastLine Candidate Forum featuring the Oak Island Town Council race.

Rachel hosts and produces CoastLine, an award-winning hourlong conversation featuring artists, humanitarians, scholars, and innovators in North Carolina. The show airs Wednesdays at noon and Sundays at 4 pm on 91.3 FM WHQR Public Media. It's also available as a podcast; just search CoastLine WHQR. You can reach her at rachellh@whqr.org.