MAINE PUBLIC • January 27, 2023
For decades, Sears Island in northern Penobscot Bay has been caught between development proposals and the environmentalists who want to conserve it. But the most recent conflict is a bit trickier — as it involves a green-energy project. This is just the most recent development proposed for the 940-acre state-owned island with a rich history. For thousands of years, it was a summer gathering spot for the Wabanaki people. Later, farmers cleared the land, and grazed livestock. Since the 1970s, multiple developments have been proposed — including a nuclear power plant and a coal-fired power plant. None came to fruition. In 1996, a proposed cargo port project was rejected after federal regulators found it would harm the bay’s ecosystem.