#searsport — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #searsport, aggregated by home.social.
-
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 -
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 -
#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
-
#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
-
#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
-
#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
-
#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
-
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
-
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