Janet Mills proposes rolling back dune protections to build offshore wind port

by Michael Shepherd

March 15, 2024

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills wants to roll back protections for the sand dunes that partially make up the state’s preferred site for a landmark offshore wind terminal.
The Democratic governor’s bill, which was submitted this week by Rep. Gerry Runte, D-York, a member of the Legislature’s energy committee, is aimed at clearing the way for the terminal. The Mills administration picked Sears Island in Searsport over nearby Mack Point as its preferred staging ground for shipping wind components out to sea.
The state’s preference for Sears Island has been controversial, and it has been opposed by some conservationists plus an eclectic coalition of conservatives, progressives and tribes. Mills’ move to roll back existing environmental laws could add fuel to their arguments. The bill will give skeptics including fishermen another platform to oppose offshore wind in general.

Mills’ bill was made public late Wednesday. On Friday, Runte said he had been approached by administration officials within the last “couple of days” who told him they had recently realized that dunes on Sears Island posed an issue that the Legislature needs to resolve.

Continue reading at https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/03/15/politics/state-politics/...

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Comment by Dan McKay on March 17, 2024 at 11:55am

LD 2266, HP1456An Act Regarding Offshore Wind Terminals Located in Coastal Sand Dune Systems - Rep. Walter Runte of York

March 18, 2024 Public Hearing
11:00 am Public Hearing
Comment by Dan McKay on March 16, 2024 at 7:22am

Janet, what are you doing?  This climate diarrhea spewed out by you is getting real silly. Ruining an environmental gem to accomplish absolutely nothing but putting every Maine citizen into the energy poor house is the very definition of stupidity.

In case you haven't looked at the big picture, consider these facts:

Production from Maine qualified renewable developments sited on Maine land is presently averaging a total of 11,317,790 megawatt-hours per year.

11,875,708 megawatt - hours is what Maine presently consumes. 

Add the 500,000 megawatt-hours soon to be delivered to Maine from NECEC, a deal that you, Janet negotiated, the question remains, what the hell are you doing?

Comment by arthur qwenk on March 15, 2024 at 5:47pm

Wonder who is paying off General Mills? Let me guess......the Wind Lobby....

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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