PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 25, 2023
A persuasive coalition of labor and conservation groups Tuesday unveiled a bill focused on the development of “responsibly sited floating offshore wind” in federal waters off the coast of Maine, a proposal that would set high standards for procurement and seems to succeed in giving prominence to both environmental and economic goals. The rangy new bill comes hot on the heels of another encouraging breakthrough: The state’s application to lease 9,700 acres on the U.S. continental shelf for a floating wind power research site progressed with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management last week. The political climate for a proposal that sets lofty goals but involves a firm environmental balancing act has rarely been more hospitable. Public support should be strong.