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Gary Friedmann is the vice chair of the Bar Harbor Town Council and president of the board of Maine Climate Action Now.
The Bangor Daily News’ Jan. 12 editorial on offshore wind punctuates the stakes in Maine’s fight for climate action.
With three 100-year storms — with wind gusts approaching 100 miles per hour and serious flooding all across the state — separated by only a few weeks and a large-scale snow storm, the incredible urgency of addressing climate is clear.
Communities, public health and our economy are all at-risk.
We simply cannot wait any longer to take bold action to reduce carbon emissions and to transition away from fossil fuels, with our eyes open, recognizing that no matter what choices we make, there will be tradeoffs.
Every path toward decarbonization requires hard choices. Developing new large-scale energy projects involves tradeoffs. But the most damaging impacts will result from inaction.
Refusing to take the steps necessary to mitigate climate change could have deadly consequences — rising water levels, warming seas, more frequent and dangerous storms, changing ecosystems and new threats to our health and well-being.
We have the resources to make a difference. Maine is uniquely positioned to develop offshore wind energy, creating a new industry that will not only power the future, but also will strengthen our economy, create good-paying jobs and offer the next generation a promising path to the middle class.
Right now, the state is considering the best location for a new staging hub to support the development of offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Maine. One site is Sears Island, which was purchased by the state as the location for a future port facility, and the other is Mack Point in Searsport.
Creating a new port facility is not without issues, and people are right to ask tough questions and to expect honest answers. But regardless of the siting decision, we must move forward.
Last year, the Legislature and Gov. Janet Mills put in place strong protections that will ensure that host communities see real benefits from a new wind port. That law also includes important labor and environmental protections, including protections for Maine’s critical lobster fishery.
We know we need to move — and move fast — to develop offshore wind, but our state has also made the correct decision to move forward in a way that reduces negative impacts and ensures that Maine workers and Maine communities receive the benefits of this new industry.
While offshore wind is new to Maine and the United States, the technology has been refined for more than three decades in northern Europe. We know that offshore wind can be developed in ways that protect wildlife, lobstering and fishing families, and provide sustainable energy for future generations.
The tide is rising. We can’t allow progress to be stalled. Maine must develop a healthy offshore wind energy, and we must begin that work now.