Maine lobster boat builder nets first clean engine waiver

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 31, 2026

A Maine boatyard is building the nation’s first lobster boat exempt from modern clean-air rules thanks to a waiver program designed to offer financial relief to the state lobster fleet, but that opens the door to more diesel pollution in fast-warming New England waters. The exempted vessel taking shape in the yard at Wesmac Custom Boats in Surry is heading south to a Massachusetts buyer, but it sets a powerful example for Maine, home to the country’s largest lobster fleet. The Surry builder said there’s simply no room for a bulky exhaust scrubber under the deck.