Janet Mills announces Sears Island as preferred site for offshore wind power port - Vermont Public

Sears Island selected as preferred site for offshore wind power port | Vermont Public

Sears Island selected as preferred site for offshore wind power port

This story will be updated.

Gov. Janet Mills announced Tuesday that her administration has selected Sears Island in Searsport as the preferred site for development of a large, offshore wind port designed to jumpstart the clean energy economy in Maine and the transition away from fossil fuels.

Selection of the site follows a public stakeholder process led by the Maine Department of Transportation and the Maine Port Authority to consider several potential options in the Port of Searsport, the Port of Eastport and the Port of Portland.

Nearly four years ago, Gov. Mills identified the Port of Searsport as the leading site in Maine to "support the transportation, assembly and fabrication of offshore wind turbines." She also called for further study of the port's assets and future needs. That study was completed in 2021.

And today, Mills said, based on input from port and offshore wind stakeholders, including the University of Maine and on technical and engineering analyses, the state has concluded that the Sears Island parcel is the most feasible port development site. It's expected to be 100 acres of development in total.

"This was not an easy decision, nor is it one that I made lightly," Mills said. "For more than two years, my Administration has evaluated Sears Island and Mack Point thoroughly and with an open mind, recognizing that each site has its own set of benefits and its own set of drawbacks. In carefully considering all of these, I believe that, on balance, Sears Island is the best choice for an offshore wind port because it is already owned by the state, designated for the purpose of port development, will cost less in the short-term and long-term, and is expected to result in less environmental harm."

Included in those considerations are the expected need for dredging at Mack Point and avoided impacts on commercial activities in the Port of Searsport.

While the governor's decision is not a surprise, it is likely to spark strong opposition from a coalition of conservation and fishing groups who do not think the largescale development plans are compatible with fishing in the area or with Sears Island, the largest undeveloped island in Penobscot Bay.

In fact, even before the governor called a press conference to make the announcement, the Alliance for Sears Island and other opponents were planning a rally on Wednesday afternoon. They and others have argued that nearby Mack Point is a more suitable alternative because it is developed and already contains a cargo port.

Steven Miller, executive director of the Islesboro Island Trust and the Alliance for Sears Island, says the state's decision to choose Sears Island is a violation of a pact made in 2007 to choose Mack Point as the preferred location for future marine transportation development.

"The Alliance is profoundly disappointed," Miller said. "Mack Point consolidates industry in one location. It economizes existing infrastructure like rail and road access.

“This is not NIMBY. We’re YIMBY, we’re saying yes, build it in our background. But build it at Mack Point, not at Sears Island.”

The 940-acre Sears Island, which is owned by the state, has a rich history. For thousands of years, it was stewarded by the Wabanaki who used it as a summer gathering place for hunting and fishing. Later, farmers cleared the land and grazed livestock on it. Since the 1970's, it has been targeted for several development projects, including a nuclear power plant, a coal-fired power plant and in 1996, a deepwater cargo port, supported by then-Gov. Angus King. None of them ever came to fruition. And Gov. King was deeply dismayed when federal regulators rejected the cargo port because they said it would harm the bay's ecosystem.

"Do you know what one of the issues was? One of the major environmental issues raised in connection with this project?" King said at the time. "Eelgrass. Not only eelgrass, shade on eelgrass."

More than a decade later, in 2009, Gov. John Baldacci issued an executive order reserving the right for the Department of Transportation to develop 330 acres in the island's northwest corner for a port and preserving the rest through a conservation easement that is managed by Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

Over the years, Sears Island, with its trails and beaches has become a popular place for family outings, dog walkers and hikers.

Mills says she recognizes that the construction of a port is not insubstantial, and it will be a change to an area that is enjoyed by many people. But she says the Sears Island parcel "is the best opportunity to responsibly advance offshore wind in Maine, an industry that will create good paying jobs for Maine people and deliver clean, renewable energy to stabilize and reduce energy prices for Maine people and businesses in the long run.”

Beth Ahearn of the League of Conservation Voters is among those welcoming the announcement.

“Offshore wind will be essential to our transition away from expensive and dirty fossil fuels," Ahearn said. "And to realize this incredible opportunity, we need port infrastructure." She added that her group will do its part to ensure the new port "has the least impact to — and benefits for — the environment and local communities."

The port proposal is subject to extensive and independent state and federal permitting, including assessments of environmental impacts and alternative sites.

Maine Public reporter Murray Carpenter contributed to this story.