MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 18, 2023
The Gulf of Maine has tremendous potential for wind power. Its development will play a major role in any plan that effectively moves the U.S. toward meeting its clean energy goals and staving off the worst of the climate crisis. How best can our state to capitalize on this monumental and necessary transition – and protect Maine’s natural resources while doing so? Some pretty good answers now sit before our elected officials. One bill, L.D. 1895, under consideration would require the state to purchase wind power produced offshore in the Gulf of Maine while mitigating the impact on ocean life and the lobster industry. Another, L.D. 1847, would set standards for the creation of a port where offshore wind technology could be built and deployed. This industry would be particularly valuable to some of our struggling coastal communities. It has the potential to become another major economic engine in a state that could use one.