After initial split, lawmakers back bill to keep Sears Island in running for offshore wind port
The GE-Alstom Block Island Wind Farm off of New Shoreham, Rhode Island, which became operational in December 2016, was the first commercial offshore wind farm in U.S. waters. New coastal wind projects are facing supply chain issues. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
After initial disagreement between Maine’s House of Representatives and Senate, a bill needed to continue the permitting process for the state’s desired location for an offshore wind port appears to have prevailed.
On Wednesday, the House revisited LD 2266 and ultimately decided to go back on its previous vote against the legislation and concur with the Senate, which passed the bill earlier this week. There was no explanation for the change. Later Wednesday night, the Senate advanced the bill to the Appropriations Committee for funding.
Before the final vote, House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) said he was proud of the House for its first vote to strike down the bill, saying it “made a strong statement that our environmental protection laws are important.”
Sears Island in Searsport was chosen by the Mills administration as the preferred site for a designated port to support the state’s budding offshore wind industry. The state owns the land, but it is protected under the Natural Resources Protection Act, which prohibits new or expanded structures on coastal sand dunes. The legislation would allow permitting for the port to proceed, so long as all other applicable permitting and licensing criteria are met.
Although he said he’d driven past Sears Island for years, Rep. Dick Campbell (R-Orrington) said he went to on Sunday to see the site up close since this has become one of the “signature bills” of this legislative session. From his observations, he said the dune is “a pile of sand with so much driftwood and debris that you can’t get to the sand.”
The dune in question is not natural to the island but was formed after the construction of a causeway and jetty.
Campbell also pointed out that the bill — which he sees as “a good proposal for the state” — includes $1 million for the Coastal Sand Dune Restoration and Protection Fund.
In an initial vote last week, the House voted 65-80 against the bill, splitting both parties. Critics said they worried about the destruction of the dune as well as the precedent set by the proposal, while others saw the impact on the dune as a necessary albeit unfortunate step toward achieving the greater environmental benefits offshore wind may bring.
However, “passing LD 2266 does not ensure that a port would be developed on Sears Island, but rejecting it would close a door that we might very much need open,” said Kathleen Meil, senior director of policy and partnerships for Maine Conservation Voters.
Both parties were also split in the Senate, which passed the bill 21-13. Democrats were largely in favor of the bill, and were joined by a few Republicans.
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