State Rep. Reagan Paul, a Republican from Winterport, has proposed legislation that would prevent the state from building a planned facility on Sears Island to support a nascent offshore Gulf of Maine ocean wind power industry.
The measure was floated as President Donald Trump froze further ocean wind development in federal waters. It follows funding roadblocks to the ambitious port project led by the Maine Department of Transportation.
The bill would extend an existing conservation easement over the entire 941-acre, state-owned island in Searsport. The land was divided in 2007 between a preservation area and a smaller parcel set aside for development.
Paul opposes developing offshore wind power and argues it is too expensive and environmentally harmful. Protecting the entire island now would finally end decades of divisive debates over repeated plans to develop the island, Paul added.
"I just think it can be beneficial to stop having that conversation," she said. "It doesn’t have to happen, we can protect the island and look forward to generation sources that are better for the Maine environment, Maine ratepayers and the community."
Advocates insist building ocean wind power arrays are crucial to reaching state clean energy goals and reducing reliance on expensive fossil fuels for electricity generation.
Last year Gov. Janet Mills selected the Sears Island parcel to host a port capable of launching specialized floating wind turbines necessary for the deep waters in the Gulf of Maine.
But the Maine Department of Transportation failed to receive a $456 million package to build the facility and later a $16 million grant to design it, leaving the future of the project unclear.
One of President Trump's first actions was to stop leasing federal waters to offshore wind developments and review all permitting and funding for existing projects, further clouding the immediate future of Maine's wind industry ambitions.
In a statement, the Maine Department of Transportation said it was reviewing the bill ahead of a public hearing that has yet to be scheduled.
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