Federal offshore wind agency tells Maine: prepare to turn federal & EEZ waters off state into offshore wind farms.
If Governor signs federal charter this week, state officials must come up with maps of wind-suitable areas 3 miles+ off Maine by next Task Force meeting ( December).
Belfast. Maine fishermen face a very different future from the present one if Maine formally signs a charter this week with the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. (BOEMRE, pronounced “Bummer”). Pressure is rising, however, for the draft “charter” to be reviewed by the legislature before the Governor considers signing it.
Formally rolled out at a September 14th interagency meeting (includes audio of meeting) in Belfast, the so-called- Maine Renewable Energy Task Force Charter would commit the state to following the federal lead regarding offshore windpower development.
Key among the federal initiatives being led by
Aditi Mirani Federal coordinator for Maine offshore wind projects.
, however, is making Maine relax its newly passed law giving incentives to ocean windmills only if they propose setting up at least ten miles offshore. the federal officials would also eliminate the requirement that those windmills must be floating turbines, not “monopoles” driven into the seafloor.
“This would allow windfarms to be set up on dozens of important fishing grounds off Maine,” said Ron Huber, executive director of Penobscot Bay Watch. “The proposal by the federal agency to open these areas to exploitation by the energy industry is a slap in the face to Maine legislators. They took a lot of heat from the ocean wind industry while passing sensible ocean wind law that protects Maine’s fishermen and sailors.”
“Their action allows the careful development of offshore renewable energy,” Huber said. ”If Maine joins the Task Force it will allow the BOEMRE agency to throw all that aside and rush in. I think our legislators want to take a hard look at this before Governor Baldacci commits Maine to the federal leash.”
In March of this year, Maine legislators & Governor Baldacci were persuaded by lobstermen and other ocean fishermen to amend, pass and sign LD 1810, An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Governor’s Ocean Energy Task Force.
The new law not only keeps windpower projects entirely out of Maine’s crowded state waters, but extends that ban to 10 miles from the Maine coast. It allows only floating anchored windmills, not monopole windmills driven into the seafloor, in those waters ten miles and further offshore, if their power is to come ashore in Maine. In fact, the only active Maine proponent of offshore wind, the University of Maine-led DeepCwind Cosortium proposes setting up operations 25 to 40 miles offshore.
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Huber said it is time for the Maine legislature to step in.
“Maine’s legislators have so far protected a large number of shrimping, scalloping and groundfish grounds from being leased away to the ocean wind industry,” he said.
“They mustn’t let their efforts be tossed aside by federal agency just so greedy investors can rush windtowers onto Maine’s finest fishing grounds.”