AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine is closing in on picking the location of a large offshore wind port, a move that will be a milestone in reaching state climate goals but will accelerate a thorny political debate over the state’s energy future.
All signs have pointed to the state choosing Sears Island in Searsport, while the state has already noted fewer hurdles regarding costs and construction than nearby Mack Point. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, announced the deepwater port plan in 2021 as a key part of reaching Maine’s goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2040.
An unusual alliance of conservation groups, conservatives and progressives has opposed using the 941-acre island for the wind base. The state’s announcement, which the Maine Department of Transportation said will be “in the coming weeks,” is only an initial step, but it could rally opponents from those groups as well as fishermen generally suspicious of offshore wind.
There are “strong indications” the state will choose Sears Island for the port, Eliza Donaghue, the executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association, said.
A Maine Department of Transportation-commissioned study released in 2021 deemed Sears Island the most feasible of four sites that also included Mack Point and deepwater ports in Portland and Eastport. The latter two sites were ruled out, leaving the two Searsport sites.
Once the state picks one, the project will require “extensive” state and federal permitting and will include additional opportunities for public input, Merrill added. An advisory group also met between 2022 and last summer to offer feedback on Maine’s plan to add to the nation’s two existing offshore wind farms by Rhode Island and Virginia.
Sears Island, the largest undeveloped island in Penobscot Bay, is owned by the state, though tribes who called it Wassumkeag, or “bright sand beach,” used it over thousands of years for camping, hunting, fishing and resting along paddling routes.
A coalition of conservation groups, including Friends of Sears Island, has argued for using nearby Mack Point because it is developed and privately owned with a working waterfront for cargo vessels. Conservatives and progressives, including state Reps. Reagan Paul, R-Winterport, and Lynne Williams, D-Bar Harbor, have called on the state to not use it.
Maine Coast Heritage Trust holds roughly 600 acres under a 2007 conservation easement, with 330 acres reserved as a “transportation parcel” for potential use as a cargo and container port, according to Friends of Sears Island, the volunteer-run nonprofit that manages the area. The DOT would use 100 acres if it chooses Sears Island, spokesperson Paul Merrill said.
Each site has a cost estimate between $400 million to $500 million, but Merrill previously noted Mack Point would cost more to use since the state does not own the land. The DOT said additional challenges for Mack Point include dredging, sediment disposal and a conflict with an existing rail line. Merrill said dredging is probably not needed on Sears Island.
But Rolf Olsen, vice president of Friends of Sears Island, said the DOT continues to focus on Mack Point concerns without sharing more specifics or considering additional costs of preventing wetland destruction on Sears Island. Olsen, who served on the offshore wind advisory group, acknowledged the wind port will require a community benefits agreement between the developer and Searsport.
“What would be the loss of carbon sequestration of losing 100 acres or more of forest and destruction of marine habitat?” Olsen asked. “Let’s look at all the factors, not just a select few that serve the DOT’s narrative.”
While Olsen and allies have argued the wind port and added noise and lights would disturb the wildlife, hiking and birding opportunities that draw visitors from around the world to Sears Island, other environmental groups and local officials have pushed back by saying the port will bring urgently-needed climate and economic benefits to the region and whole state.
A coalition of a dozen organizations, including the Natural Resources Council of Maine and various labor unions, signed a statement in November supporting the wind port but not expressing a location preference. Last year, Mills and the Legislature also approved an offshore wind deal to boost the nascent industry and reserve half of jobs for unions.
Jack Shapiro, the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s climate and clean energy director, said many opponents of using Sears Island still support wind and alternative energy projects in Maine, which could lead to “a lot of soul searching” if the state goes forward with the island.
Shapiro said reaching Maine’s climate goals is urgent, particularly after destructive storms and flooding in December and January, and axing an offshore wind port would require Maine to ramp up clean energy projects via solar and onshore wind. However, several projects in those areas have faced roadblocks.
“Climate change is the single biggest threat to our woods, our waters, our coasts [and] our communities,” Shapiro added. “That requires fast and ambitious action to switch to renewable energy.”
