Opinion: Base for offshore wind development doesn’t belong on Sears Island

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 5, 2022

We salute Gov. Janet Mills’ Climate Action Plan to support offshore wind development. Gulf of Maine wind resources have a large capacity to meet renewable energy goals, curbing greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring good paying jobs. As the climate crisis builds, Maine must act diligently and urgently. Although Maine has multiple ports for potential development, Mills directed the MaineDOT to study the feasibility of constructing port facilities only in Searsport for offshore wind development. The subsequent report proposed “a marine terminal on Sears Island.” If Penobscot Bay is appropriate for offshore wind staging, we believe it should be built on Mack Point and not on Sears Island. ~ Joan Saxe and Becky Bartovics, Sierra Club Maine volunteers and members of the Sears Island Planning Initiative and the Joint Use Planning Initiative for Sears Island