MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 11, 2021
Gov. Mills did sign L.D. 1619, which will prohibit the licensing, construction and operation of wind turbines in the state’s territorial waters, which extend three miles from shore. But you would be wrong if you think that Maine is giving up on the idea of harnessing some of the strongest winds on the planet to generate clean, renewable power. Rather than ending ocean wind development in the Gulf of Maine, this moratorium moves it forward. What this law really does is create a way that new technology can be tested in real-world conditions, observed by a consortium of energy experts, environmental scientists and fishermen – both commercial and recreational – to determine the best practices for what could be a major industry in the state for decades to come.