offshore wind

One would direct the Public Utilities Commission to contract for at least 1,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, and 2,800 megawatts by 2035. It would also direct the commission to establish labor standards, monitor wind projects' effects on the marine environment, and develop transmission infrastructure.

Federal officials from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management were in Bangor this week to gather feedback from state officials, fishermen and tribal members about potential offshore wind development projects that may be sited in the Gulf of Maine.

A port to support Maine's offshore wind industry could require cranes that are taller than those at Bath Iron Works, or the towers of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge.

Representatives of the Governor's Energy Office took questions from a legislative committee Wednesday about the scale of offshore wind projects that might be sited in the Gulf of Maine, and their potential impacts on whales, fisheries, and aesthetics.

It's a blueprint for how the state can develop floating offshore wind projects while also considering the needs of maritime communities and industries.

If regulators approve the project, it will be sited 45 miles southeast of Portland, and could produce power by the end of the decade.

For decades, Sears Island in northern Penobscot Bay has been caught between development proposals and the environmentalists who want to conserve it. But the most recent conflict is a bit trickier — as it involves a green-energy project.

The chairman of the Legislature's energy committee is proposing a bill that aims to jumpstart the offshore wind industry in Maine.

This month, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is holding public meetings in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. The Maine meeting will be at the Portland by the Bay Holiday Inn, on Jan. 19 at 5 p.m.

Environmentalists are criticizing a decision by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management not to conduct a comprehensive environmental review before designating areas for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine.