Latest news with #MaineCoastHeritageTrust
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maine lawmakers reject proposal to extend Sears Island conservation easement
Apr. 8—AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers have rejected a proposal to extend a conservation easement on Sears Island to include the proposed site of an industrial wind port. The Senate voted 24-9 Monday to kill a bill that would have extended the easement held by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust that currently protects about two-thirds of the 940-acre island by adding the rest of it — about 330 acres owned by the state. The House voted 76-68 against the bill earlier this month. Sen. Denise Tepler, D-Topsham, who co-chairs the committee that had recommended against Senate passage of the bill, told colleagues that the state originally purchased the island for its potential development as a port, and that option should remain available, even though the proposed wind project is stalled because of a lack of funding. "I would very much like to ask you to preserve this state asset for future, not current, development, recognizing that two-thirds of the island has been placed in permanent conservation easement and is open and available for enjoyment, for birding, for walking and for other possibilities," Tepler said. Sen. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth, spoke in favor of the bill, saying extending the easement is important to preserving the island and its natural resources. "Losing this space to industrial development, which I do believe would happen even if only one-third of the island is destroyed, would be stripping away a treasured recreational destination that has served generations of Maine residents," Grohoski said. LD 226 was introduced earlier this year by Rep. Reagan Paul, R-Winterport. Paul said at the time that the state's efforts to construct a wind port represented a waste of taxpayer funds and that the island, which is located off the coast of Searsport, is better suited as a hiking and kayaking destination that draws tourists. The state announced in February 2024 that Sears Island was its preferred site for a wind port to build, assemble and maintain floating offshore wind turbines hundreds of feet tall and applied that May for $456 million in federal funding for the project. Federal officials rejected the state's application last fall, but Maine has said it would pursue other opportunities to secure funding. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Group of Maine lawmakers trying to block Sears Island wind port
Jan. 28—A new effort is underway in the Legislature to derail the Mills administration's plan to build a wind port on Sears Island. Proposed legislation — backed by six Republicans, a representative of the Passamaquoddy tribe and a Democrat — directs the state Department of Transportation, with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, to extend the island's conservation easement to cover all of Sears Island. "The intent of the bill is to stop the state of Maine's wasteful spending," Rep. Reagan Paul, R-Winterport, said in an email. "The Maine DOT has been trying to industrialize Sears Island for decades and has spent millions doing so." A spokesperson for the Transportation Department did not respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment on the progress of the agency's plans for Sears Island or to respond to Paul's criticism. Federal transportation officials rejected Maine's $456 million application to build the port there last fall, but the state said it would pursue "other opportunities to secure funding." Maine has established several laws to fight climate change, promote renewable energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The state is required to have 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 100% by 2040. Offshore wind is one of several renewable energy resources needed to meet those targets. The state also has set a goal of generating 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2040. Sears Island is a 941-acre tract off the coast of Searsport. In 2009, it was, by agreement, divided into two parcels: about 600 acres were placed in a permanent conservation easement held by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and 330 acres were reserved by the Maine Department of Transportation for future development. The site is eyed for a wind port to assemble wind turbines and other equipment for use in the Gulf of Maine. The Transportation Department issued a report in October reaffirming the state's support for Sears Island as the preferred site for Maine's wind port. Officials said their report explains why it considers Sears Island the best of 23 possible locations for the wind port. It spells out the state's offshore wind port goals, defines the minimum design criteria and other considerations to build a wind port and says Sears Island and nearby Mack Point are the two best options. Paul, who has presented the bill, said Mack Point, the site of a terminal near Sears Island, can be used instead. She has been a consistent foe of wind power, calling it a "green energy pipe dream" that's overrated as a zero-carbon source of energy. "There is no reason to destroy Sears Island, given the irreparable harm already determined when there is a state-owned port across the channel that could be utilized for port development," she said. Paul cited several reasons to allocate money elsewhere: the rejection of Maine's application to build the port, the lack of federal funds that will be available from the Trump administration, a potential lack of private investment "that inevitably comes from a risky venture" and state finances that are stretched thin. Sen. Denise Tepler, D-Topsham, co-chair of the Legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee where the legislation was assigned, said in an email that she wants a "robust discussion" among lawmakers for "every bill that comes before us." She said it's too early to predict the bill's impact or how much support it has. A public hearing has not yet been scheduled. Rolf Olsen, vice president of Friends of Sears Island, which manages the conserved part of Sears Island and supports Mack Point for construction of the wind port, does not expect the legislation to overcome opposition from allies of Gov. Janet Mills. "It's hard to believe the state is taking off the table permanently building a port on Sears Island," he said. "It does not have a likelihood of success." Copy the Story Link
