Editorial: Maine needs to pick a location and move forward with offshore wind port

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 11, 2024

The Mills administration is expected to file an application for a permit to construct a new port to support a new offshore wind industry, both of which will require lengthy state and federal permitting processes. The decision on where that port should be can be guided by a simple notion: It is reasonable to propose building a port on an island that was purchased specifically for a port (with a large portion later set aside for conservation). Especially when doing so would align several vital state economic and environmental objectives, including a necessary transition to cleaner energy sources. Port facilities to support Maine’s nascent offshore wind industry are very far from fruition, but pursuing them on Sears Island could meet a decades-old goal for the state-owned land, while helping Maine meet some of its climate and economic goals.