MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 29, 2024
The Department of the Interior will hold an offshore wind energy lease sale at the end of October. Eight different areas in federal waters have the potential to power more than 4.5 million homes. That’s enough electricity to avoid nearly 50 million tons of fossil fuel emissions. Maine Audubon has spent a lot of time evaluating and advocating for opportunities to address climate change, including supporting renewable energy. But we have to do it right. This lease sale is the culmination of years of work from Maine Audubon and other advocates to convince the federal government to only issue leases in specific areas, those with the least amount of potential impacts on wildlife, commerce and transit. ~ Andy Beahm, Maine Audubon