#searsport — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #searsport, aggregated by home.social.
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List of #MaineLibraries with #SeedLibraries!
Buck Memorial Library
47 Main St, #BucksportMEWaterville Public Library
73 Elm St, #WatervilleMEEllsworth Public Library
20 State St, #EllsworthMENortheast Harbor Library
1 Joy Road, #NortheastHarborMECaribou Public Library
30 High Street, #CaribouMEThompson Free Library
186 E. Main St, #DoverFoxcroftMESearsmont Town Library
37 Main Street, #SearsmontMeWells Public Library
1434 Post Road, #WellsMEMilbridge Public Library
18 School Street, #MilbridgeMEBangor Public Library
145 Harlow St, #BangorMEFriend Memorial Public Library
1 Reach Road, #BrooklinMED.A. Hurd Library
41 High St, #NorthBerwickMECurtis Memorial Library
23 Pleasant St, #BrunswickMEWilliam Fogg Library
116 Old Road, #EliotMECarver Memorial Library
12 Union St, #SearsportBrown Memorial Library
53 Railroad St, #ClintonME -
List of #MaineLibraries with #SeedLibraries!
Buck Memorial Library
47 Main St, #BucksportMEWaterville Public Library
73 Elm St, #WatervilleMEEllsworth Public Library
20 State St, #EllsworthMENortheast Harbor Library
1 Joy Road, #NortheastHarborMECaribou Public Library
30 High Street, #CaribouMEThompson Free Library
186 E. Main St, #DoverFoxcroftMESearsmont Town Library
37 Main Street, #SearsmontMeWells Public Library
1434 Post Road, #WellsMEMilbridge Public Library
18 School Street, #MilbridgeMEBangor Public Library
145 Harlow St, #BangorMEFriend Memorial Public Library
1 Reach Road, #BrooklinMED.A. Hurd Library
41 High St, #NorthBerwickMECurtis Memorial Library
23 Pleasant St, #BrunswickMEWilliam Fogg Library
116 Old Road, #EliotMECarver Memorial Library
12 Union St, #SearsportBrown Memorial Library
53 Railroad St, #ClintonME -
List of #MaineLibraries with #SeedLibraries!
Buck Memorial Library
47 Main St, #BucksportMEWaterville Public Library
73 Elm St, #WatervilleMEEllsworth Public Library
20 State St, #EllsworthMENortheast Harbor Library
1 Joy Road, #NortheastHarborMECaribou Public Library
30 High Street, #CaribouMEThompson Free Library
186 E. Main St, #DoverFoxcroftMESearsmont Town Library
37 Main Street, #SearsmontMeWells Public Library
1434 Post Road, #WellsMEMilbridge Public Library
18 School Street, #MilbridgeMEBangor Public Library
145 Harlow St, #BangorMEFriend Memorial Public Library
1 Reach Road, #BrooklinMED.A. Hurd Library
41 High St, #NorthBerwickMECurtis Memorial Library
23 Pleasant St, #BrunswickMEWilliam Fogg Library
116 Old Road, #EliotMECarver Memorial Library
12 Union St, #SearsportBrown Memorial Library
53 Railroad St, #ClintonME -
List of #MaineLibraries with #SeedLibraries!
Buck Memorial Library
47 Main St, #BucksportMEWaterville Public Library
73 Elm St, #WatervilleMEEllsworth Public Library
20 State St, #EllsworthMENortheast Harbor Library
1 Joy Road, #NortheastHarborMECaribou Public Library
30 High Street, #CaribouMEThompson Free Library
186 E. Main St, #DoverFoxcroftMESearsmont Town Library
37 Main Street, #SearsmontMeWells Public Library
1434 Post Road, #WellsMEMilbridge Public Library
18 School Street, #MilbridgeMEBangor Public Library
145 Harlow St, #BangorMEFriend Memorial Public Library
1 Reach Road, #BrooklinMED.A. Hurd Library
41 High St, #NorthBerwickMECurtis Memorial Library
23 Pleasant St, #BrunswickMEWilliam Fogg Library
116 Old Road, #EliotMECarver Memorial Library
12 Union St, #SearsportBrown Memorial Library
53 Railroad St, #ClintonME -
List of #MaineLibraries with #SeedLibraries!
Buck Memorial Library
47 Main St, #BucksportMEWaterville Public Library
73 Elm St, #WatervilleMEEllsworth Public Library
20 State St, #EllsworthMENortheast Harbor Library
1 Joy Road, #NortheastHarborMECaribou Public Library
30 High Street, #CaribouMEThompson Free Library
186 E. Main St, #DoverFoxcroftMESearsmont Town Library
37 Main Street, #SearsmontMeWells Public Library
1434 Post Road, #WellsMEMilbridge Public Library
18 School Street, #MilbridgeMEBangor Public Library
145 Harlow St, #BangorMEFriend Memorial Public Library
1 Reach Road, #BrooklinMED.A. Hurd Library
41 High St, #NorthBerwickMECurtis Memorial Library
23 Pleasant St, #BrunswickMEWilliam Fogg Library
116 Old Road, #EliotMECarver Memorial Library
12 Union St, #SearsportBrown Memorial Library
53 Railroad St, #ClintonME -
@keithedwards.bsky.social discusses how #Republican Senator #SusanCollins was met with boos and chants of “shame!” during a ribbon-cutting in #Searsport, #Maine, as constituents LAMBASTED her LONG absence of #townhalls and controversial votes on #SupremeCourt nominees youtu.be/jsrgzijRtlk?...
BOOS POUR DOWN as Susan Collin... -
Bills revive debate over #SearsIsland port plan
Maine Public | By Peter McGuire
Published March 12, 2025"Lawmakers heard more than five hours of testimony Wednesday from both sides of a debate over preserving Sears Island in the Town of #Searsport.
"A pair of bills from state representative Reagan Paul would extend a #ConservationEasement across the island and restore #SandDuneProtections in a 330-acre parcel set aside for development.
"The Winterport Republican said it's time to end decades of controversial port proposals for the island in the town of Searsport. The latest plan is a floating offshore wind port by the Maine Department of Transportation that has so far failed to attract federal funding.
"'And yet #MDOT refuses to face reality, doubling down on failure and proving this is not about offshore wind, it is about pushing #IndustrialDevelopment at any cost,' Paul told members of the legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
"Local #conservationists support the proposal and said the highest and best use of the island is as a wild area. Any commercial development, including the wind port, can be done at nearby #MackPoint, a fuel and materials terminal."
Read more:
https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-03-12/bills-revive-debate-over-sears-island-port-plan
#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes #ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies -
#MaineNotes, October 2, 2024
In #MaineNews, #ScarboroughMaine Town Council may put the brakes on the #GorhamSpur tonight, and #BuxtonMaine refuses to pay for 1/2 of a separate pedestrian bridge on busy Route 202 over the #SacoRiver (connecting two trail systems), leaving #HollisMaine to foot the bill (if they decide to pay for it). Meanwhile, #Searsport voters say "yes" to an offshore wind port, but will it be on undeveloped #SearsIsland, or already developed #MackPoint?
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectWahsumkik #Maine #MaineTrails
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#MaineNotes, October 2, 2024
In #MaineNews, #ScarboroughMaine Town Council may put the brakes on the #GorhamSpur tonight, and #BuxtonMaine refuses to pay for 1/2 of a separate pedestrian bridge on busy Route 202 over the #SacoRiver (connecting two trail systems), leaving #HollisMaine to foot the bill (if they decide to pay for it). Meanwhile, #Searsport voters say "yes" to an offshore wind port, but will it be on undeveloped #SearsIsland, or already developed #MackPoint?
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectWahsumkik #Maine #MaineTrails
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#MaineNotes, October 2, 2024
In #MaineNews, #ScarboroughMaine Town Council may put the brakes on the #GorhamSpur tonight, and #BuxtonMaine refuses to pay for 1/2 of a separate pedestrian bridge on busy Route 202 over the #SacoRiver (connecting two trail systems), leaving #HollisMaine to foot the bill (if they decide to pay for it). Meanwhile, #Searsport voters say "yes" to an offshore wind port, but will it be on undeveloped #SearsIsland, or already developed #MackPoint?
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectWahsumkik #Maine #MaineTrails
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#MaineNotes, October 2, 2024
In #MaineNews, #ScarboroughMaine Town Council may put the brakes on the #GorhamSpur tonight, and #BuxtonMaine refuses to pay for 1/2 of a separate pedestrian bridge on busy Route 202 over the #SacoRiver (connecting two trail systems), leaving #HollisMaine to foot the bill (if they decide to pay for it). Meanwhile, #Searsport voters say "yes" to an offshore wind port, but will it be on undeveloped #SearsIsland, or already developed #MackPoint?
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectWahsumkik #Maine #MaineTrails
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#MaineNotes, October 2, 2024
In #MaineNews, #ScarboroughMaine Town Council may put the brakes on the #GorhamSpur tonight, and #BuxtonMaine refuses to pay for 1/2 of a separate pedestrian bridge on busy Route 202 over the #SacoRiver (connecting two trail systems), leaving #HollisMaine to foot the bill (if they decide to pay for it). Meanwhile, #Searsport voters say "yes" to an offshore wind port, but will it be on undeveloped #SearsIsland, or already developed #MackPoint?
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectWahsumkik #Maine #MaineTrails
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#Searsport information session addresses questions about offshore #WindPort
By Marleigha Clipston
Published: Aug. 13, 2024 at 9:11 PM EDTSEARSPORT, Maine (WABI) - "The Searsport Select Board held an informational meeting with representatives from #MaineDOT and the Maine Port Authority to discuss the state’s proposed offshore wind port.
"At Tuesday night’s meeting the select board asked questions that were submitted ahead of time regarding the wind port and the impacts it would have on the area.
"In February, the state announced the preferred location for the wind port is #SearsIsland.
"Many residents have spoken out against the wind port being built on Sears Island suggesting #MackPoint as an alternative location.
"Representatives from the state say they are still very early in the process which will take years.
"'Local people should be listened to in this process and heard that we really need to have an undeveloped Island to go to and for the animals and plants,' said Chris Buchanan, Campaign to #ProtectSearsIsland.
“'You know, we talked about carbon sequestration, having mature ecology, like an intact ecosystem, is way more important than building out offshore wind. We could do that on industrial sites that already exist,' said Buchanan.
“'Its still an ongoing process. I mean, the permitting process here, we anticipate to take a minimum of two years. We hope to do that concurrently with the NEPA process,' said Matthew Burns, Maine Port Authority’s Executive Director.
“'And I mean, ultimately, you know, the final decision is to find the least #environmentally damaging, practical alternative. We’re committed to doing that. and have devoted a lot of resources to make sure we do right,' said Burns.
"Over 70 questions were submitted and many were not addressed due to time constraints.
"The town and the state plan to hold more meetings going forward."
#ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
CALL TO ACTION!
Can you attend this event for
#Wahsumkik / #SearsIsland?"Floating Offshore Wind 101 - An Educational Panel with Q&A."
Wednesday, August 21st
Bucksport 5:30-7:30pmCenter for Professional Mariner Development
24 Mariner Way
Bucksport, #MaineFMI -
https://www.facebook.com/events/826271572971739/#WindPort #MackPoint ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
Proposed offshore #WindPort on #SearsIsland raises new conflicts for coastal Mainers, environmental activists
Residents concerned about both #ClimateChange and preservation are conflicted over plans for a facility on Sears Island that could be key to launching Maine's offshore wind industry
Annie Ropeik, The Maine Monitor
July 14, 2024"Dow and activists like Huber want the port built instead at a #SpragueEnergy-owned oil and logistics terminal across the water known as #MackPoint. It was considered as an alternative in lengthy public processes in recent years, and Sprague and opponents of the Sears Island proposal have continued to urge reconsideration for it so far this summer.
"Offshore wind has taken some big steps forward in Maine this year. Federal regulators approved a state research array of floating turbines, which generate power in deep waters far offshore, and are nearing leasing for commercial projects.
"A new state law calls for #Maine to procure 3 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2040, using union- standard labor to build the projects and a floating wind-focused port.
"Formal environmental assessments and site analyses are still pending. But state port authority director Matthew Burns wrote in June that Mack Point’s 'physical and logistical constraints, need for significant dredging, and increased costs to taxpayers for land leasing and port construction would result in an expensive and inferior port for Maine compared to a versatile, purpose-built port on Sears Island.'
"Still, opponents worry that #wetlands and #forests on Sears Island could be disrupted by port construction, even if most of the surrounding #ecosystem remains intact.
"'Because we have to sacrifice something, let’s sacrifice something irreplaceable, instead of cleaning up a dirty old existing port?' Huber said outside the event. 'That’s just ridiculous.'"
Archived version:
https://archive.md/HBPgT
#ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
#SearsIsland Bird Images
by Karl Gerstenberger"To date, birders have spotted 222 species of birds on Sears Island, representing 47% of all bird species recorded in #Maine. In Derek Lovitch’s 2017 book #Birdwatching in Maine, he states that 'Sears Island…is by far the shining gem of Maine coastal birding' in the area of #coastline between Rockland and Mount Desert Island..'"
https://friendsofsearsisland.org/explore/bird-gallery/
#ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag #WednesdaysForWildlife -
#SpragueEnergy offers alternative plan for offshore #WindPort at #MackPoint
Story by Katie Delaney
June 11, 2024"The State of Maine is planning to build its first offshore wind port on Sears Island in #Searsport, but Sprague Energy is pushing for its facility at Mack Point to be reconsidered as the site for the project.
"Leaders of Sprague Energy held tours Tuesday to show people their plan for offshore wind at Mack Point which they say is a lower-impact alternative to #SearsIsland.
"'This is a technology we've been serving for 20 years; we know what we do, we know our plan is rational,' Sprague Energy Vice President of Materials Handling Jim Therriault said.
"Sprague Energy has been working on #WindTurbines for the land, but it’s ready to take them to the sea.
"Therriault said the plan will impact the land less than the Sears Island project while still preserving their current operations.
"'We came up with a plan that gives you the same, if not more, capability and we did it with greatly reduced dredging, probably about an 85 percent reduction,' Therriault said.
"Sprague would make money on the deal. It would lease 100 acres of its facility to the State of Maine. Sprague says its site would be cheaper than Sears Island.
"'That lease fee will likely be lower than the state financing fees,' Sprague Energy President and CEO Dave Glendon said."
#Maine #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #Wassumkeag -
#SearsIsland Study Area
#Wetland Delineation#Photographs: August & September, 2023
Sears Island
Searsport, Maine 04974#Nature #MDOT #MaineDOT #JanetMills #SaveTheWetlands #EndangeredSpecies #Wahsumkik #Searsport
#WindTurbines #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #OffshoreWindFarm #ProtectWahsumkik #ProtectNature #MackPoint -
"The #PeregrineFalcon, a federally endangered species that has been verified on #SearsIsland, likely preys on smaller birds along the island's coast. The #SouthernBogLemming (state watch list) and #EasternRibbonSnake (state special concern list) have been verified on Sears Island..."
#EndangeredSpecies #Wahsumkik #Searsport
#WindTurbines #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #OffshoreWindFarm #ProtectWahsumkik #ProtectNature #MackPoint -
Energy company wants #Maine to use its port instead of #SearsIsland for offshore wind hub
Competition for Maine's offshore #WindPort is sharpening with #SpragueEnergy Operating Resources proposing #MackPoint as an alternative to the state's preferred site on nearby Sears Island.
by Stephen Singer, June 6, 2024
[Behind a paywall -- full text below]
An energy and port services company is pitching its Mack Point industrial property as a location for an offshore wind port, offering it as an alternative to the site on nearby Sears Island that is preferred by the state but opposed by local residents.
Sprague Operating Resources LLC on Thursday released details of its plan for Maine’s offshore wind project in Searsport. It says its site will be less costly than the Sears Island location and spare that area the disruption caused by port construction, a key issue that locals have criticized. The plan proposes a launching dock, assembly area for wind turbines before they’re dispatched to the Gulf of Maine and a recently updated rail yard.
“We can’t get the state to look at this plan seriously,” said James Therriault, vice president of materials handling at Sprague.
The Mills administration says Sears Island is the best choice for an offshore wind port because the site is owned by the state, saving money that would otherwise be required to lease another location, and is designated for port development.
State officials also have said that the Sears Island site would not require dredging, unlike at Mack Point. But Therriault said Mack Point has been dredged to a depth that can accept ships. “We’ll take advantage of depth that’s already there,” he said.
Sprague says its Mack Point Terminal offers 100 acres separate from current activities, a base launching dock allowing the use of a semi-submersible barge or Tug Dock device – next-generation equipment used to install offshore wind platforms – and a second large vessel dock for Sprague’s bulk and liquid operations that can also serve as a backup dock.
“Sprague believes it’s in the best interests of Mainers to urge the state to fully analyze the costs, timings and impacts of Sprague’s alternative design,” Therriault said. “We believe this alternative achieves the goal of minimizing impacts on natural and working lands, while reducing overall cost and providing all the same operational and vessel functionality.”
In response to Sprague’s proposal, the state Department of Transportation said Mack Point has “physical and logistical constraints.” The agency says the area would require a “significant” need for dredging and greater costs to Maine taxpayers for leasing and construction, resulting in a “more expensive and inferior port facility for Maine compared to Sears Island.”
“What are those constraints?” asked Rolf Olsen, vice president of Friends of Sears Island, a volunteer, nonprofit organization that manages a conservation area on the island. He opposes the state’s proposal and favors Mack Point.
State officials use the “same generalities” as they have before, he said. “I don’t see anything new here.”
DOT officials said Sears Island is “one of the best sites for a deep-water port on the Eastern Seaboard, which is why a portion of the island has been reserved for port development for many years.”“By all available information, analysis and stakeholder input, Sears Island is the most feasible and cost-effective location for an offshore wind port,” the state said.
The state’s selection of Sears Island as its preferred site “followed two years of evaluation, local discussions and assessment of all other port options – including Mack Point,” the DOT said.
Gov. #JanetMills announced in February the state’s preferred site at Sears Island. The selection is subject to state and federal permitting and will be analyzed in comparison to Mack Point.
Olsen said redeveloping Mack Point, “which has thrived as an industrial site for more than a century” would be less disruptive than building a port on Sears Island.
The state, he said is “single-mindedly going for Sears Island.”#Wahsumkik #Searsport
#WindTurbines #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #EndangeredSpecies #OffshoreWindFarm #ProtectWahsumkik #ProtectNature -
#SpragueEnergy Unveils Alternative, Lower-Impact Plan for Floating #OffshoreWind at Its #MackPoint Terminal in #Maine
Harnessing Existing Infrastructure, Sequestering Tons of #Carbon Per Year and Protecting 100 Acres of Undisturbed Natural Habitat on and off #SearsIsland
June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire
"'Building a wind port on Sears Island means more than 75 acres of upland forest will be cleared, graded, and compacted. It also means filling 25 acres of pristine #PenobscotBay to extend the shoreline where a previously protected ocean sand dune is located,' said Rolf E. Olsen, vice president of #FriendsOfSearsIsland, a volunteer nonprofit organization that manages the conservation area on behalf of the people of Maine and supports the idea of a #WindPort in #Searsport.
"Olsen continued, 'That estimate by the State does not include the additional impact from a new and greatly expanded approach road and rail bed to get to the facility. This seriously damages the island's #ecological, recreational, and economic value. Re-developing Mack Point - which has thrived as an industrial site for more than a century - is a far better and less disruptive decision, and the State has previously stated that it meets the requirements for the port.'
"On April 24, the #MaineDOT issued a request for information seeking public input on Maine's commercial offshore wind solicitation approach and implementation. Public opinions should be emailed to [email protected] before the June 21st deadline. More information is available on the Maine.gov website."
https://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2024/06/06/10024531.htm
#ProtectNature #Nature #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Greenwashing #JanetMills -
What this article doesn't mention is all the other plans to develop #SearsIsland, that are contingent on #MDOT's and #GovernorJanetMills getting their way!
[Paywall] The plans for #Maine’s floating #WindPort, explained
May 31, 2024
Why Sears Island?
"This question remains a big sticking point for what appears to be a number of local residents, some environmental organizations and midcoast advocacy groups, and those who are simply opposed to offshore wind development entirely.
"They argue that industrialized #MackPoint in #SearsportMaine is the best place for a wind port.
"'There’s such a sensible alternative 800 yards away — a 105-year-old working port, with a terminal operator that is ready, willing and able to take on the project and not to jeopardize their other operations,' said #DavidItaliaander, a Searsport resident and board member for #FriendsOfSearsIsland. The group maintains the island’s vast network of trails.
"#SpragueEnergy owns Mack Point and appears to be making its own push to host the state’s wind port. The company has said that its existing #industrial #waterfront could be repurposed to support Maine’s plans. And Sprague said it has a new alternative plan that addresses some of the concerns the state has identified.
"But there is a coalition of other conservation organizations, labor groups, the Maine Chamber of Commerce and others that want to see Sears Island redeveloped as a wind port and support the state’s plan.
"Maine DOT already owns the land that it wants to develop. The state also says that Sears Island wouldn’t require dredging, but Sprague has said those requirements would be reduced under its new plan.
In the meantime, Italiaander and other Sears Island advocacy groups are poring through the details of DOT’s federal grant application."DOT, for example, has proposed relocating the Sears Island access road so it would cut through a corner of the #conservation area.
"That’s a concern, Italiaander said. Burns acknowledged that the land is protected and said the proposed road relocation is intended to better bifurcate the island into its two potential uses — port activity and recreation.
"The debate over Sears Island will ramp up in the coming weeks and months.
"Sprague Energy will host an event next month at the Mack Point terminal, where company leaders are expected to present their own alternative wind port design.
"And #MaineDOT is expected to release a much-anticipated analysis of alternative sites, which will include Mack Point."
#WindPort #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Maine #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #CulturalGenocide #Greenwashing -
Tree cutting has already started! Call your legislators and #ProtectTheForest / #ProtectTheDunes and #SaveSearsIsland! The trees and greenery there keep #Carbon from entering the atmosphere! #MackPoint is a better choice, since it has already been developed and is NOT ecologically sensitive!
[Undeveloped] #SearsIsland has staved off #industrialization for decades. Now it may become #Maine’s #WindPort.
Many say Mack Point's the better choice.
SEARSPORT — "At 940 acres, Sears Island is the largest uninhabited island off the coast of Maine, making it an inviting patch of ground for proposed developments such as a shipping cargo port and #nuclear power plant.
"For decades, however, the #PenobscotBay island has been a graveyard for major projects that never got built.
"That could change in the coming years.
"#GovJanetMills announced in February that Sears Island is the state’s preferred site for an industrial port with facilities to build, assemble and maintain floating offshore wind turbines, hundreds of feet in height. The undeveloped site would be transformed into a busy hub for ships delivering materials to build the turbines, and it would be populated by cranes, storage facilities and vehicles.
[...]
"Many local residents and others in Maine [including the #WabanakiAlliance] say Mack Point is a more logical launchpad for the state’s floating wind industry, and that the state should spare tranquil Sears Island with its abundant woods, trails and views of #PenobscotBay from becoming what they fear would be an industrial zone."
#Maine #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #Wassumkeag #AllianceForSearsIsland #CulturalGenocide #Greenwashing -
#MDOT Plans New #SearsIsland Road and Rail Access Corridor Through Current #ConservationLand
Published by
#allianceforsearsislandon May 23, 2024
"Can we hold the Maine Department of Transportation accountable for bull-dozing their way toward developing Sears Island and industrializing #PenobscotBay, along the way breaking promises, rewriting environmental protection law, changing the Sears Island conservation easement, withholding from the public important development costs and impacts and avoiding open, honest, transparent public involvement?
"We might be tempted to begin our list of facts illustrating MDOT’s abuse of authority and public trust with the illegal filling of Sears Island #wetlands and construction of the causeway, apparently in violation of its permit, in the 1980’s. But let’s keep to the more recent offshore wind record of broken promises and undisclosed development activity.
"During the Governor’s announcement in February, [#GovJanetMills] claimed, without supporting data, that Sears Island development 'will cost less' and 'is expected to result in less environmental harm' than would development of a state-owned but privately operated offshore wind facility at Mack Point.
"The 'cost less' assertion raised major questions not yet answered in part because, a few months earlier, at the last OSWPAG meeting, we were told, 'The total project cost for construction is very similar for both MP ($460 Million Total Project Cost) and SI ($470 Million Total Project Cost).'
"Sears Island’s current #undeveloped, natural condition, provides important ecological services to the region and state, especially for fisheries, #CarbonSequestration and publicly accessible recreation. #MackPoint does not provide these ecological services. According to a reliable source, every acre of intact Sears Island forest locks up between 80 and 100 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year – #CO2 that cannot harm our #climate.
"Developing Sears Island proposes removing all vegetation and life from more than 100 acres on Sears Island, nearly one-third of which is existing or historical #wetland, and then harvesting 1.4 million cubic yards of soil to create an impermeable, nearly level work area. Doing so constitutes radical, permanent, irreparable ecological damage, forever eliminating current upland and associated marine #environmental benefits. This exactly flips an appropriate climate-change response and dramatically undermines any claim that developing Sears Island instead of Mack Point represents the least environmentally damaging choice.
Broken Promises
"In 2007, the state promised to choose #MackPoint as the preferred location for future marine transportation development. The Sears Island agreement, signed by 38 stakeholders including the Maine Department of Transportation, and adopted as state policy by then-Governor Baldacci and the State of Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Transportation, says: 'Mack Point shall be given preference as an alternative to port development on Sears Island.'
"The Sears Island agreement also committed the State of Maine from ever harvesting soil from the island. Ever. Not one cubic yard of soil would be harvested and certainly not 1.4 million cubic yards of soil!
Sadly, the Governor’s announcement and subsequent actions taken by MDOT toward developing Sears Island render the promises made in 2007 by our government worthless.
Broken Laws
"But highly questionable governmental actions in pursuit of developing Sears Island continue. In March this year the Governor brought forward the sand dune bill that allows violation of sand #dune system protections on Sears Island and creates a dangerous threat in the future for any environmental law that may interfere with MDOT development aspirations. Though initially failing to pass in the House, the bill eventually became law after strong political pressure.
New Sears Island Road and Rail Corridor
"And now we come to the MDOT application for a federal grant specifically to develop Sears Island. Nestled within several documents associated with the grant application is page 2 of a two-drawing file titled, Sears Island Wind Port Concept Drawing 2024-04-29, copy attached or available at https://www.maine.gov/mdot/grants/infra/.
"The illustration depicts a new 'heavy load' access road and rail corridor as part of Sears Island development plans for the first time, at least in public.
"As proposed, the new approximately 2,300-foot-long rail and road access corridor passes through a thickly wooded portion of the island, crossing at least two perennial streams and disturbing additional wetlands along the way. Assuming a 100-foot width, the corridor would destroy more than 5.25 acres of intact natural landscape, in addition to the more than 100-acre upland ecological destruction at the facility site proper.
"Adding insult to injury, the proposed new road and rail corridor requires changing the conservation easement boundary in the vicinity.
"#FriendsOfSearsIsland Vice President Rolf Olsen received confirmation of the new road and rail access plan from Kay Rand in response to his query. Rand also substantiated that the new access corridor would cross a portion of the conservation parcel and necessitate a change in that parcel’s boundary.
"According to budget information included with the grant application, clearing, grubbing, excavation and borrow, grading, drainage, erosion control, paving and other work related to this access corridor will add $8 million to the cost of developing Sears Island. Mack Point already provides both a heavy load road and rail.
"The new Sears Island rail and road access corridor presents yet another failure by MDOT to incorporate an honest understanding of climate change into decision-making. As MDOT fiddles for federal grant money to pursue a mega facility on Sears Island, the Earth tilts toward catastrophic climate change.
"I will venture the opinion that, had the #MillsAdministration and MDOT focused offshore wind port research on Mack Point as promised in March 2020 (see attached press release), as promised in the Sears Island Planning Initiative, and as the historical record certainly suggests is the rational approach, including deeply exploring development possibilities there with #SpragueEnergy, they might already have secured permits and seen construction begun.
#Accountability Now"End the insulting double-speak. With honor and integrity, not intrigue and obfuscation, open-up and bring the full spectrum of facts to this decision. Accountability now!"
Steve Miller
#WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #AllianceForSearsIsland #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #WabanakiAlliance #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
OpEd: Opposing wind port on #SearsIsland protects #wildlife
"I strongly oppose the decision by Gov. Mills and the Maine Department of Transportation to locate a wind port on Sears Island in Waldo County. This is wrongly being touted as the least environmentally harmful location for a port, largely based on its requiring less dredging to establish access than using an available site at nearby Mack Point.
Placing a port on Sears Island would destroy upwards of 100 acres of woodland and a sand dune habitat and be very harmful to the thousands of migrant birds that pass through the island. Mack Point is already highly industrialized and offers little benefit to birds and other wildlife. Claiming that Sears Island is the least environmentally harmful is simply inaccurate.
One of the unmentioned reasons for the state’s desire to develop Sears Island is likely that it offers room for future port expansion, whether that be for assembling wind towers or anything else #MDOT wishes to do. MDOT controls 300 acres on the island and will surely find reasons to expand once it establishes a foothold.
"Sears island is highly important to birds and is one of the premier locations in the state for observing spring and fall migrant songbirds. It is sad that some of the state’s largest environmental organizations have not taken a firm stance against developing the island. Check out the Alliance for Sears Island website for more information, and I urge you to contact your state legislators and ask them to oppose a port on Sears Island."
John Wyatt
Winterporthttps://allianceforsearsisland.org/
#Maine #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #ProtectTheForest #Wassumkeag #AllianceForSearsIsland #WednesdaysForWildlife -
Historically Undeveloped #SearsIsland Now Threatened by #Maine’s #WindTurbine Project
By Seamus Othot
November 20, 2023"The State of Maine intends to develop the untouched Sears Island in #Searsport to build and ship offshore wind turbines, according to Downeast lawmakers who oppose the controversial project.
"'It is the largest undeveloped uninhabited causeway accessible island on the eastern coast of the United States,' said Rep. Lynne Williams (D-Bar Harbor) in her letter defending Rep. Reagan Paul’s (R-Winterport) proposal to stop the development of Sears Island.
"The lawmakers see the Sears Island project as a negative environmental effect of Maine’s offshore wind plans, which are supposed to lower Maine’s greenhouse gas emission and thereby forestall anthropogenic global warming.
"The development of offshore wind turbines also has the potential to impact Maine’s lobster and haddock fisheries, according to scientific studies collected and distributed to media by the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (#NEFSA).
"Rep. Paul’s proposal, which was appealed on Thursday’s meeting of Maine’s legislative council, would have granted a conservation easement for land on Sears Island that is not privately owned.
"This would have stopped the development of 100 acres of the 940 acre island.
"The appeal failed, with a vote of five-five. The four republicans on the council voted for the bill, along with Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland). The rest of the Democratic leaders opposed the bill.
"Rep. Williams argued that, in addition to its #ecological value, and its sentimental value as untouched #wilderness for the people of her district, Sears Island ought to be preserved for its #historical value.
"'The island is rich with #indigenous #Wabanaki history and American history from the Revolutionary War that deserves to be preserved and protected as well,' said Paul.
"Without Paul’s bill, there is no legislation preventing Maine’s offshore wind industry from industrializing the island.
"A similar bill, proposed by Rep. Tiffany Strout (R-Harrington), was appealed at the same council session as Paul’s, but, like Paul’s, it failed.
"Rep. Strout’s bill would have helped Maine retain its Lobster Management Area One if it is auctioned off to company’s building offshore wind turbines."
#Wahsumkik #Maine
#FirstNations #GovernorJanetMills
#Corporatocracy #OffshoreWindFarm #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #EndangeredSpecies #EnvironmentalProtections
#MackPoint #Searsport -
Just like when the #Maine public voted AGAINST the #CMPCorridor through the #NorthWoods!
Public feedback process for decision on #OffshoreWind port a charade, #environmentalists claim
State officials are accused of long favoring #SearsIsland, the largest undeveloped island in #PenobscotBay, as the future site of the port.
Author: Kate Cough of The Maine Monitor
Published: 12:51 PM EDT August 14, 2023PORTLAND, Maine — "Environmentalists are decrying a year-long process meant to gather public feedback on where to build a #deepwater offshore wind port, calling it a 'charade.'
"They say state officials failed to adequately engage the public or #tribal communities and effectively decided where to construct the port long before the process began.
"The Maine Department of Transportation [#MDOT]has been making an internal case for Sears Island while 'giving an illusion of an impartial analysis of port possibilities to the public,' said #MattCannon, the state conservation and energy director for #SierraClubMaine, in comments at the final meeting of the Offshore Wind Port Advisory Group.
"'Some,' he said, 'see it as a breach of public trust.'
"State officials have said they’re considering several locations for the 100-acre port, including #Eastport, #MackPoint and Sears Island, and don’t expect to choose a final location until next year. The officials insist they have not made a final decision.
"But participants in the process, which began in May 2022, say the state has long advocated for Sears Island, the largest #undeveloped island in Penobscot Bay.
"They believe officials have not seriously considered other options for the port, which would be the staging area for equipment needed to build and maintain #Windturbines in federal waters in the #GulfOfMaine.
"Those suspicions hardened after documents released via a public records request submitted by #IslesboroIslandsTrust earlier this year revealed internal discussions seeming to indicate an official preference for the island. #FriendsOfSearsIsland manages the #trails on the conserved portion of the island.
"The documents included a '#Stakeholder Management Plan' written by state-hired consultant Kay Rand. The document said the goals were, in part, to 'develop and execute a stakeholder outreach strategy that would enable #GovernorJanetMills to … announce a commitment to pursue development of Sears Island as the #RenewableEnergy Port of the Northeast.'
"The document is dated Sept. 8, 2021 — eight months before the stakeholder group held its first meeting — and mentions pursuing Sears Island as the port at least four times."
#Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism -
This is NOT the first time #SearsIsland has been targeted with a destructive energy project! Tell #GovernorJanetMills to build the #WindTerminal on #MackPoint, instead of Sears Island. There is federal funding available, so there's NO REASON to be CHEAP (Mills has balked because #Maine would have to clean up #industrial #pollution at Mack Point -- which should be cleaned up anyways!
"The possible industrial development of the island has been a point of controversy for many years. Writer #EBWhite (#CharlottesWeb), a resident of nearby Brooklin, Maine, noted in a 1975 essay for the New Yorker that he had attended an evening forum about a #CentralMainePower Company proposal to construct a #NuclearPower plant on Sears Island. White reported to New Yorker readers that the Central Maine Power Company 'feels very good about nuclear generating plants, is not worried about #radiation or accidents.' [Or rise in sea temperature from heated wastewater causing environmental damage, apparently]. In response to a goat farmer, their spokesman acknowledged #radioactive 'iodine can contaminate milk... [b]ut he was cheerful about the prospect. You would simply put the animals on a controlled diet, he said, and after about forty days the radioactivity would be gone.' [#Hormesis anyone?] Facing #LocalOpposition, the plant was not built."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears_Island
#Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag -
#SpragueEnergy #MackPoint #OffshoreWind Plan
Published by #AllianceForSearsIsland on
May 16, 2024"The Bangor Daily News published an excellent op-ed by Sprague Energy’s Jim Therriault on May 14 that lays out the numerous reasons why building the state’s offshore wind manufacturing, assembling and launching facility there is the best alternative if it is built in #PenobscotBay.
"Sprague also announced that the public may tour their Mack Point facility and learn more about their offshore wind plan on Tuesday, June 11. Pre-registration is required by contacting Chris Goddard at [email protected] or [email protected]
Source:
https://allianceforsearsisland.org/2024/05/16/sprague-energy-mack-point-offshore-wind-plan/For more information, visit https://www.spragueenergy.com/mack-point.
#Maine #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #ProtectTheForest #Wassumkeag -
#SandDune Vote:
Some Tribal Perspectives on
Proposed Wind Port on #Wahsumkik“..For both #Wabanaki people and non Wabanaki people...It has a great amount of history. It's ecologically sensitive and important to the #ecosystem of our coast...” - Darren Ranco,
PhD, #Penobscot Citizen, Professor at the University of Maine, MITSC Commissioner, #Maine #ClimateCouncil committee member.April, 2024
"Sears Island (known also by the Penobscot name Wahsumkik) is the largest #undeveloped island within the state and one of the largest on the eastern seaboard, and considered important to #BirdMigration. Construction of a wind port operation would require the destruction of 70 acres of #forest and would impact a yet to be assessed area of marine eel grass. The destruction of a sand dune was
reportedly missed in a first assessment of the site, thus prompting the Governor's bill."https://allianceforsearsisland.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/tribal-perspective.pdf
#ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #WabanakiAlliance #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag #WednesdaysForWildlife -
State applies for federal grant to build wind port on #SearsIsland
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 17, 2024
"The Mills administration said Friday it’s seeking $456 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to build an offshore wind port at #SearsIsland, angering local opponents who say the state is bypassing an alternative at nearby #MackPoint before a study analyzing both sites has even been started. A study is set to be done assessing Sears Island and Mack Point, which is favored by many local residents because it already has an #industrial area. Sears Island has been spared previous #development attempts. The project has divided #environmentalists who support Maine’s foray into wind power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but disagree on where to build a port to support the project."
#RESTOREMaine #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #ProtectWahsumkik #MackPoint #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #WabanakiAlliance #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #PenobscotNation #Passamaquoddy #ProtectTheForest #CorporateColonialism #Wassumkeag -
#Maine applies for federal funds to build wind port on #SearsIsland
"Sears Island as DOT's preferred site for an offshore wind port has sparked a heated debate among some local residents, state lawmakers and others who argue the industrialized #MackPoint should be the location of #Maine's proposed #WindHub."
Maine Public | By Nicole Ogrysko
Published May 17, 2024
"The Maine Department of Transportation (#MDOT) has applied for $456 million in federal funds so that it can begin constructing a floating offshore wind port on Sears Island.
"If approved, the federal grant would cover about two-thirds of the nearly $760 million that the state of Maine estimates it will need to build the port and a heavy-lift semi-submersible barge that's needed to launch the floating wind turbine foundations.
"The remaining funds would come from other federal and state grants and anticipated payments as areas are leased to wind developers in the coming years.
"The department said there are currently no other sites being considered on the East Coast that could support the construction and deployment of floating wind turbines near the eight lease areas that the federal government recently identified as potential sites for offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.
"According to a timeline included in a lengthy list of project materials released Friday afternoon, DOT said it will spend the next 18 months applying for permits for the wind port through the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (#MaineDEP) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
"If everything is approved, the state estimates wind port construction starting in 2027 and wrapping up in 2029."
#ProtectWahsumkik #JanetMills #Wahsumkik #WabanakiAlliance #SandDune #Searsport #EndangeredSpecies #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #ProtectTheDunes
-
When Pretzel Logic Twists No to Mack Point Into “Yes” to Forward-thinking Climate Projects
#ProtectWahsumkik and volunteers associated with #SierraClub #Maine Chapter, as well as many Alliance allies and many of you reading this, performed an incredible job exposing #LD2266’s blatant abuse of governmental authority and supporting protection of critical ecological features on Sears Island.
Published by
allianceforsearsisland
on April 26, 2024"For example, developing the offshore wind facility at #SearsIsland requires removing all vegetation and wildlife from some 75 or more upland acres, approximately 25% of which are significant freshwater #wetlands, recently mapped and documented by Maine Department of Transportation’s (#MDOT) consultants, that provide nutrients and habitat for both terrestrial and marine species. Developing the facility at #MackPoint requires no or extremely little loss of wetlands."
#WindTerminal #SandDunes
#Searsport #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #GovernorJanetMills #WabanakiAlliance #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism -
Boo hiss!
#LD2266: Sand dunes and #SearsIsland wind terminal
Lawmakers changed course and cleared a major hurdle for the development of an offshore wind terminal on Sears Island with the approval of L.D. 2266, which exempts the site from rules governing development on sand dunes
by Emmett Gartner
April 27, 2024"Like this bill, Gov. Janet Mills’ selected location for a windmill assembly and transportation hub received intense scrutiny from some environmentalists, local residents and tribal members.
"They said the location and exemptions will degrade Sears Island’s sand dune habitat and defenses against #CoastalFlooding, arguing the port should be constructed at nearby #MackPoint, which was also up for consideration."
#Maine #WindTerminal #SandDunes #Searsport #Wahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism
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House Rejects Rollback of Sand Dune Protections for Development of #Wahsumkik
Sunlight Media Collective, April 10, 2024
"On Tuesday, the Maine House voted 80-65 to reject Governor Mills’ proposal to rollback state environmental protections to pave the way for the state’s preferred siting of an offshore wind port on Wahsumkik / #SearsIsland within the town of #Searsport. The Senate is scheduled to vote Wednesday, April 10th."
#Maine #MaineSenate #MackPoint #WabanakiAlliance #WindTurbines #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #EndangeredSpecies #OffshoreWindFarm
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#JanetMills seems keen on demonizing environmentalists and tribal leaders, rather than clean up #MackPoint -- an already industralized area -- to build the offshore wind terminal
Maine House, protecting sand dunes, rejects plan to build offshore wind terminal on #SearsIsland
It is unclear how severely the decision will delay the buildout of a wind port in Maine, which would create hundreds of high-paying jobs and advance the state's climate goals.
by Stephen Singer
April 9, 2024"The Maine House of Representatives voted Tuesday to protect sand dunes on Sears Island where the Mills administration has proposed to build an offshore wind terminal.
"In an 80-65 vote, the House rejected legislation that would have authorized the Department of Environmental Protection to grant a permit to build the terminal on an area of Sears Island that includes a coastal sand dune system.
"If the legislation fails, it is unclear how severely the decision would delay the buildout of a wind port in Maine, where turbines and other components would be assembled and then shipped to the Gulf of Maine. The project involves lengthy state and federal permitting processes after a site is selected.
"The legislation, which is narrowly crafted to reference the sand dunes, would allow the DEP to act only after all laws and agency rules also permit construction.
"The sand dune area is about four-tenths of an acre, according to the bill, which now heads to the Senate.
"Gov. Janet Mills announced in February her selection of Sears Island for Maine’s foray into wind power. She said it was not an easy decision, and it was opposed by environmentalists who favored nearby #Mack Point.
"Criticism quickly focused on the potential threat that construction would pose to the sand dunes. #MaineAudubon says sand dunes and coastal #beaches protect buildings and infrastructure from waves and flooding and provide #habitat for migratory shore birds, and endangered and threatened species."
#Wahsumkik #WabanakiAlliance
#Maine #Searsport
#WindTurbines
#ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #SaveSearsIsland #EndangeredSpecies #OffshoreWindFarm -
Monday Sand Dune Vote: Some Tribal Perspectives on Proposed Wind Port on #Wahsumkik
“..For both #Wabanaki people and non Wabanaki people…It has a great amount of history. It’s ecologically sensitive and important to the ecosystem of our coast…”
– Darren Ranco, PhD, Penobscot Citizen, Professor at the University of Maine, MITSC Commissioner, Maine Climate Council committee member.
via Sunlight Media, April 2, 2024"On Monday, the full Maine Legislature is expected to vote on #LD2266, 'An Act Regarding Offshore Wind Terminals Located in Coastal Sand Dune Systems.' The bill, put forth by the Governor’s office five days before a public hearing, seeks to exempt a sand dune on #SearsIsland, in #Searsport, from current state #environmental protections to explicitly allow for the advancement of an offshore wind port and staging area on the island. Governor Mills announced last month that Sears Island is the state’s 'preferred site' for the major development, instead of the already industrialized #MackPoint, also in #Searsport.
"Sears Island (known also by the Penobscot name Wahsumkik) is the largest undeveloped island within the state and one of the largest on the eastern seaboard, and considered important to #bird migration. Construction of a wind port operation would require the destruction of 70 acres of#forest and would impact a yet to be assessed area of marine eel grass. The destruction of a sand dune was reportedly missed in a first assessment of the site, thus prompting the Governor’s bill.
"At the public hearing on #LD2266, #Passamaquoddy Representative to the Maine Legislature #AaronDana, expressed opposition to the bill and deep concern for the unstudied impacts of off shore wind operations and the siting of a staging development and port on Wahsumkik/Sears Island.
"'These projects are often driven by the profit motives that prioritize corporate interests over the well being of the Indigenous people of Maine and the surrounding communities of non-tribal members alike….The push for the offshore wind project energies, the offshore wind energy must be critically examined from a #Native perspective, taking into account the profound impacts on our environment, our culture, and our communities.'
"'The installation and the operation of the offshore wind turbines often encroach upon sacred sites and areas of cultural significance. This project, especially for the #Penobscot Tribal territory, these places hold deep spiritual value for our community and are integral to our cultural identity. The industrialization of these areas not only desecrates our sacred sites, but they also erode our cultural heritage and the connection to the land and the sea.'"Information shared by Citizens To Protect Sears Island:
VOTE NO ON LD 2266
SEARS ISLAND is NOT the ONLY OPTION for OFFSHORE WIND.1) There has been no environmental impact study for Sears Island, and available environmental assessments that support development of the Island. However multiple assessments are available that discourage port development of any kind on the Island.
2) Sears Island has been deemed to have significant ecological value, invaluable capacity for future carbon sequestration, as well as many rare species, which are all necessary for future climate resilience. [The Resilient Land Mapping Tool, The Nature Conservancy, TNC Screenshots 2010, TNC Screenshots 2050]
3) Mack Point is the fastest option to permit and construct a wind port in Penobscot Bay that meets the 100-acre size requirement. Environmental permits will be granted without delay as the site is industrialized with limited ecological value. If expansion is required over time, collaboration may occur with the old mill site in Bucksport for smaller components, economically uplifting the entire region.
4) The MDOT has not considered the most recent Sprague Energy site use proposal, but it is a further improvement of the Moffatt and Nichols Report of 2023.
5) Construction costs at Mack Point are equivalent, or less than Sears Island ($400 to $500 million). [Moffatt and Nichols Report 2023]. It is NOT TRUE that Sears Island will be cheaper to develop because the State owns the land. The State is not factoring in costs that will be associated with development or operation. For example, causeway expansion and mitigation for wetland loss.
6) Dredging needed at Mack Point is minimal compared to Sears Island, with less potential sediment contamination. [Moffatt and Nichols Report 2023], [2021 Maine DOT OSW port Infrastructure Feasibility Study – Concept Design Report 11-17-2021]
7) Developing Mack Point has strong support from the regional community.
#CulturalGenocide #WabanakiAlliance #Maine #WindTurbines #ProtectTheForest
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Critics call plan for #Searsport offshore wind site ‘dangerous precedent,’ point to coastal impacts
#WindPower advocates and #conservationists looking to protect #SearsIsland from use as a wind power hub presented their points of view to lawmakers, who must choose between the two sides.
"Bill would set a dangerous precedent for the destruction of our coastal #ecosystems"
Stephen Singer
March 18, 2024"Opponents urged lawmakers to respect the area’s coastal environment.
"Tribal Rep. #AaronDana of the #PassamaquoddyTribe said the proposal would disrupt the area’s environment and cause #pollution, affecting the ability to fish, hunt and gather 'in the traditional ways that have sustained the Passamaquoddy people' and others.
"#Industrialization of the areas 'not only (desecrates) our #SacredSites, but (it also erodes) our cultural heritage and our connection behind the land,' Dana said.
"Joshua Kercsmar, vice president of #PreserveRuralMaine, said the conservation group prefers construction of a wind port on the 'already industrialized #MackPoint part of Searsport that has no coastal dunes.
"He also said the state would set a bad precedent by changing environmental policy.
'If through a single bill the laws no longer apply to protecting Sears Island then a troubling question arises: If the state can so easily undo protections on Sears Island sand dunes, why could it not just as easily undo protections on other protected ecosystems elsewhere?' Kercsmar said."#SandDunes and coastal #beaches protect buildings and infrastructure from waves and #flooding and provide #habitat for #MigratoryShoreBirds and endangered and threatened species, #MaineAudubon said. It suggested establishing a Coastal Sand Dune Restoration and Protection Fund, modeled after Maine’s Lake Water Quality and Restoration Fund, that 'would help kickstart a novel opportunity to increase technical assistance, research and public education.'"
#Wahsumkik #Maine #FirstNations #SacredSites #JanetMills #Corporatocracy #OffshoreWindFarm #Wabanaki #ProtectTheDunes #ProtectTheForest #SaveSearsIsland #EndangeredSpecies #EnvironmentalProtections #CorporateColonialism
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Hmmmm... I'm seeing a pattern here. #PeterMills and #MaineTurnpikeAuthority are looking to build a highway through forests and farms because it would be cheaper (but #LightRail would be even CHEAPER, but would involve less #contractors). Peter's sister #JanetMills wants to put an #OffshoreWindFarm on #SearsIsland because it would be cheaper than #MackPoint (which would involve cleaning up pollution -- the horror!)
[Article is behind a paywall -- full text in comments]
The unusual political alliance opposing an offshore wind port in #Maine
by Billy Kobin
December 4, 2023"The 941-acre Sears Island, the largest undeveloped island in #PenobscotBay, is connected to the mainland by a causeway and is located off the coast of #Searsport, the Route 1 town of about 2,600 residents. The state owns the island, though #NativeAmericans who called it #Wassumkeag, or 'bright sand beach,' used it over thousands of years for camping, hunting, fishing and resting along paddling routes."
#MainePolitics #Environment #Greenwashing #EnvironmentalRacism