May 17 – The Mills administration said Friday it is seeking $456 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to build an offshore wind port on Sears Island, angering opponents who say the state wants an alternative at nearby Mack Point bypasses before an investigation analyzing both locations has been completed.
Governor Janet Mills announced in February that Sears Island in Penobscot Bay is the preferred location for the assembly and shipment of wind turbines to the Gulf of Maine. An investigation has begun that will assess Sears Island and Mack Point, said Department of Transportation spokesman Paul Merrill.
Mack Point is a favorite of many locals because it already has an industrial area. Sears Island has been spared previous development attempts.
The state has said the port’s construction cost would be about $500 million. A May 2 letter from Searsport Select Board Chairman Doug Norman to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg asking for his “strong consideration” of the project said the cost is $760 million.
The remaining money will come from other federal, state and private sector lease payments, he said.
Norman did not respond to a request for comment on his letter on Friday. Merrill said the grant application includes funding for a semi-submersible barge that would be used to transport components.
“If there is a financing opportunity, we want to consider it,” he said.
The announcement that the state is seeking money to develop Sears Island, with only a reference to “environmental impact assessments and alternative sites,” sparked criticism from a group that opposes the siting of an offshore wind terminal there.
“My frank opinion is that they have not been fair to any of the people,” said Rolf Olsen, vice president of the board of Friends of Sears Island, which manages a portion of the island set aside for conservation.
David Italiaander, a board member of Friends of Sears Island, believes the state never considered Mack Point.
“I would say it has been that way from the beginning,” he said Friday. “We knew it would be Sears Island and it would always be Sears Island.”
ENVIRONMENTAL FOLLOWERS DIVIDED
Merrill said the state has concluded that the Sears Island parcel is the “most feasible port development site in terms of location, logistics, cost and environmental impact. The conclusion followed an extensive public stakeholder process led by the Department of Transportation and the Maine Port Authority. to consider the state’s top port development options, including possible locations at the ports of Searsport, Eastport and Portland, he said.
The Mills administration said it prefers Sears Island because the state owns the 100-acre site that would be used for the wind port and it offers access to deep water. Unlike Mack Point, Sears Island would not need to be dredged to accommodate a harbor.
The project has divided environmentalists who support Maine’s push for wind energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but disagree over where to build a port to support the project. Several Republican lawmakers have spoken out against wind energy and urged the state not to develop Sears Island.
Backers of the project say it will establish Maine in the offshore wind industry and become “a hub for job creation and economic development” while helping meet state and federal renewable energy goals.
The port project is subject to “comprehensive and independent state and federal permitting processes,” including environmental impact and alternative site assessments, the Department of Transportation said.
The state will apply for permits later this year, providing an opportunity for public comment. A decision on the grant is expected this year.
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