Maine House backs environmental exemption to allow wind terminal on Sears Island

April 17, 2024

Stephen Singer

Press Herald

EXCERPTS

A dozen House members reversed themselves from an April 9 vote that rejected changes in environmental rules, in order to allow an offshore wind terminal to be built.

The Maine House of Representatives on Wednesday backed legislation exempting sand dunes on Sears Island from environmental rules to authorize the state to grant a permit to build an offshore wind terminal.

By voting 77-65, the House reversed itself eight days after voting 80-65 to reject the legislation. Thirteen lawmakers, hearing from environmental and labor groups, changed their positions and yielded to Gov. Janet Mills on a key energy policy priority: putting Maine on the path to become an East Coast player in generating wind power from the Atlantic Ocean.

The measure now returns to the Senate, which approved the bill on Monday, for final enactment before heading to Mills for her consideration........................

....................House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, who opposed the measure, said during a brief House debate that Maine’s environmental laws are important, “and Sears Island is a beautiful and pristine location.”..........................

https://www.pressherald.com/2024/04/17/maine-house-backs-environmental-exemption-to-allow-wind-terminal-on-sears-island/

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  • Willem Post

    The hard-working Main people will be so screwed.

  • Dan McKay

    Augusta, we have a problem. 

    There are 8 billion people on Earth. 

    Obviously, North America and Europe are the only areas of Earth serious about alleged climate crisis.

    North America and Europe combined have a population of 1.1 billion.

    Obviously, Maine with 1.3 million people (0.0001625% of Earth's people) is totally irrelevant to "The Cause."

    Obviously, Maine qualified in-state renewable electricity plants currently produce 100% of the electricity Maine consumes which means Maine is holding up its end of " The Cause."

    Why would you expect the ratepayers of Maine to sacrifice several billions of dollars more to "The Cause" with the Northern Maine Renewable Development Program and this wind fiasco?

    This is an exposed criminal act you are inflicting on the Maine people and reparations are much overdue.

     

  • Willem Post

    This is the coercive will of the elite special/monied interests imposing itself on the people’s interest, and the people’s proxies, aka elected reps, decided to support the special/monied interests.

    It is high time all these fraudulent rep folks get swept out of office with a giant MAGA tsunami of counted votes for Trump