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We recently learned that the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) failed to receive a $16 million grant for an offshore wind manufacturing facility on Sears Island. This marks the fourth MDOT grant application failure since 2023 for the Sears Island development. I think it’s past time for the Mills Administration to cut our taxpayer losses and focus on more modest improvements to Mack Point in furtherance of the floating offshore wind research array.
The four failed grant applications include a Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) request for $8 million in 2023, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency $130 million request, a federal Department of Transportation $456 million grant request and most recently another PIDP request for $16 million.
The application for nearly one-half billion dollars revealed that, as of May 1, 2024, MDOT spent $3,616,051 in their attempt to develop Sears Island. We cannot continue to throw Maine taxpayer money at a proposal that federal officials continually reject for funding.
Instead, the governor should listen to Chris Wissemann from Diamond Offshore Wind, the state’s partner in the ten-turbine research array, when he said, “[t]he state should scale back to a facility that serves that project, but could expand for future commercial customers.”
According to a Sprague Energy spokesperson, making comparatively modest improvements at or near the Sprague Energy and Maine Port Authority Mack Point piers might make the Research Array possible.
Such modest improvements would position Mack Point for consideration as a commercial-scale floating offshore wind facility in the future.
Stephen Miller
Executive Director
Islesboro Islands Trust
Islesboro