Legislation to support development of offshore wind appeared doomed last month after a veto from Gov. Janet Mills. But the Mills administration and labor groups have reached a compromise that could revive the effort when the Legislature convenes sometime in the next few weeks.
In vetoing a bill to support an offshore wind port, Governor Mills said she was concerned about a requirement for project labor agreements which she said would have a "chilling effect" on companies that are non-unionized and would raise construction costs that would have to be paid by taxpayers. She also signaled that she would veto another bill directing the Maine Public Utilities Commission to contract for 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2040.
But a bill addressing Mill's concerns by clarifying the labor language won committee approval late Wednesday night.
"This is a major agreement for the state of Maine, to move us towards energy independence," said Sen. Mark Lawrence, a democrat from Eliot who is sponsoring the amended bill. "And it's really going to be three bills in one, bills from Senator Curry, Senator Brenner and myself, dealing with the procurement of offshore energy, but also creating a port facility in Maine for construction."
Lawrence said the amended bill comes after negotiating the governor's interest in protecting Maine construction companies whose workers are not unionized.
Jason Shedlock, President of the Maine State Building and Construction Trades Council and an officer with Laborers’ International Union Local 327, said the amended bill will raise the bar for all workers, unionized and otherwise.
"I certainly give the governor a lot of credit for her determination, her willingness to listen, her staff's willingness to really find out how the sausage is made when it comes to how these types of policies manifest on the ground," he said.
The Maine Lobsterman's Association remains opposed to the bill, but the smaller Maine Lobstering Union supports it. And environmentalists praised the revived legislation.
Jack Shapiro, of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said offshore wind will be a key tool in weaning Maine off of the fossil fuels that produce the greenhouse gasses that cause climate change.
"It will be very difficult for us to meet our climate and clean energy goals without offshore wind," he said.
And he likes the full package. "It incorporates incentives for high standards for the environment, wildlife and fisheries, it includes incentives to site projects outside of LMA1, Maine's key lobstering grounds," Shapiro said, "and it includes language to facilitate building a deepwater port."
In a statement, Dan Burgess of the governor's energy office said: "The Governor looks forward to signing this bill into law and advancing offshore wind’s promise of good-paying jobs and economic investment for Maine.”
The bill will face votes in the Maine House and Senate when the legislature reconvenes briefly later this summer.
