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Dana Connors recently retired as president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, a position he held for nearly 30 years.
Maine proudly has a bold climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait, that aims to ensure 80 percent of our state’s electricity will come from renewable sources by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050.
It’s an ambitious goal — but we’re already most of the way there. This year, more than 73 percent of Maine’s in-state electricity was generated from renewables, with hydroelectric dams providing over a quarter of the total power, wind turbines another quarter, and biomass accounting for a bit under 20 percent, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
To help fully accomplish the goal, renewable energy and utility companies will need a helping hand from our U.S. senators – Susan Collins and Angus King. Right now, federal permitting bottlenecks are hampering the construction of green energy projects. Reforms could help reduce these delays and ensure that a clean electric grid becomes a reality, not just a dream. We are fortunate both Senators recognize the need for – and urgency of – permitting reform.
Sen. King was spot on when he said last year that, “we don’t have 10 years to spend on a permitting process if we’re going to solve [the climate crisis] in time to save the country and the planet. We’ve got to figure out how to do this in a more timely way.”
For example, Maine is one of the most promising states for wind energy in the Northeast. Yet onerous permitting rules have hamstrung the development of several offshore wind projects. Maine cannot miss out on economic opportunities or risk falling behind other states.
Until we rein in permitting delays, clean energy projects in Maine and across the country will continue to struggle to get off the ground. The process needs to be faster, less complicated, and more predictable to enable clean energy projects to come to fruition.
Recent legislation in Washington directed billions towards green energy and climate investments. But much of it will be wasted if permitting problems slow down new wind, solar, and biomass projects for years.
Here in our own backyard, many projects are held up in regulatory purgatory. Consider the New England Aqua Ventus project, which could deliver 11 megawatts of clean wind power from offshore turbines, and the Weaver Wind farm in Hancock County, which only recently came online after years of objections.
It’s not just the environment that’s at stake. Clean energy is one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in Maine, and our governor has set the ambitious goal of 30,000 Maine clean energy employees by 2030. As Maine looks to grow and strengthen our economy and workforce, clean energy offers an incredible opportunity for sustainable and well-paying jobs and careers in a sector that holds great promise short- and long-term.
Mainers are ready and willing to accelerate the transition to green energy. We just need to pare back onerous permitting requirements to create new jobs and build the future of sustainability right here in the Pine Tree State. Several proposals are floating in Congress to address the issues that are standing in the way. It is critical that Congress prioritize passing permitting reform. Maine cannot wait.