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In a Sept. 22 story on Maine’s lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of the Interior’s buy-out termination of Gulf of Maine offshore wind leases, WMTW reports: “The lawsuit also argues that the cancellations could negatively impact Maine’s plans for future offshore wind development and other renewable energy goals.”
So just what are Maine’s plans for future offshore wind development? Now is exactly the right time to explore that question.
Previous to the Trump administration holding offshore wind hostage, Maine announced plans to develop an offshore wind manufacturing, assembling and launching facility on Sears Island. Those plans failed to adequately consider a number of other, viable options and failed to generate sufficient funding.
During today’s offshore wind pause, even as Clearway Energy pursues an 800-megawatt onshore wind project in Aroostook County, Maine needs to consider the least environmentally damaging and most economically beneficial offshore wind development strategy.
Developing two currently industrialized ports for offshore wind that would coordinate manufacturing, assembly and launching, a strategy used elsewhere and for the Aqua Ventus quarter-scale turbine now operating near Castine, almost certainly would reduce environmental harm, save costs and spread development’s fiscal benefits across a greater segment of the Maine coast than the previously failed offshore plan.
Climate change poses a clear and present threat to Maine’s future. Clean, renewable energy production helps reduce climate change impacts. Prudence points to further research now into whether offshore wind can be part of Maine’s adaptation.
Stephen Miller
Islesboro