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The BDN editorial of Jan. 12 is right on. I’m an ardent conservationist and care deeply about our native plants and animals and the ecosystems in which they reside. I’ve devoted my entire career, while with the University of Maine and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, to conservation efforts. The time for climate action is now! While we continue to waffle on siting and permitting issues, Rome burns.
We have proposals for large solar farms Down East, wind farms up north, transmission lines through northern and central Maine, wind farms off the coast, and port facilities along the mid coast. The siting and permitting for these important projects simply are taking too long. I know there will be folks who will not be happy with all of the decisions, but we must move forward with these larger projects. I don’t want to imply that we should bypass our regulatory process, only fast-track it.
The governor, Legislature, agency heads, commissions and boards need to make this a priority. As the summer temperatures and winter storms attest, we don’t have a lot of time. Shortly, worldwide, entire communities of plants and animals will either shift their ranges or simply disappear. Destitute human populations will be on the move. Lobstermen are worried about offshore wind development on their fisheries, but given what’s happened in southern New England, there may be no lobsters to harvest in near-shore waters in two decades. For the sake of our children and grandchildren let’s move forward in renewable energy development now!
Bucky Owen
Professor emeritus
Department of Wildlife Ecology
University of Maine
Past commissioner
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Orono
