#windport — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #windport, aggregated by home.social.
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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 -
Good! Build it on #MackPoint, not #SearsIsland! Feds reject Maine’s request for $456 million to build proposed wind port at Sears Island
by Stephen Singer
October 22, 2024"Rolf Olsen, vice president of the board of #FriendsOfSearsIsland, which manages a portion of the island set aside for #conservation, and an opponent of the Sears Island proposed site, said the federal decision 'would appear to be a significant financial blow' to develop the manufacturing facility.
"'We’re somewhat encouraged that the state’s port development grant application was turned down, especially since it only considered developing Sears Island and not Mack Point,' he said.
Archived version:
https://archive.md/ej9E4#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #Maine #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies -
#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 -
Common #Wildlife of #Wassumkeag Island (#SearsIsland)
"This is an ongoing list of the types of wildlife found on Wassumkeag (Sears) Island. It is based on reported observations. There are many other animal species on Sears Island, however, that have not been seen so are not included in this list. The list does not include most aquatic or tidal organisms. Please see our other guide for birds. New species will be added in future updates so check back.
American Mink
American Red Squirrel
American Toad
Common Garter Snake
Common Porcupine
Common Raccoon
Deer Mouse
Eastern Chipmunk
Eastern Cottontail
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Harbor Seal
Moose
Northeastern coyote
Ribbon Snake
Smooth Greensnake
Spring Peeper
Striped Skunk
White-tailed Deer
Wood Frog
Yellow-Spotted Salamander"
Source:
https://www.inaturalist.org/guides/3233"We welcome your submissions of observations! Please visit our website at http://friendsofsearsisland.org/explore-the-island/ to log observations. You may also add species to our Inaturalist Project, 'Plants and Animals of Sears Island.'"
#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #WednesdaysForWildlife #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #GreenEnergy #MackPoint -
#SearsIsland: The Answer to Green Energy, Or Home to #Biodiverse #Wildlife?
by Freyja Grey
Jul 16, 2024"The #Wabanaki people indigenous to the area named Sears Island #Wassumkeag, or Shining Beach. The tribes used the island to hunt and fish for centuries.
"McCarthy said, 'They've been documented archeologically to have had a presence here for at least thirty-five hundred years.... There's a bio-regional perspective that considers all the relations: the #insects, the #grasses, the #trees, the #eelgrass, the #birds, the critters that roam these woods — if you really want to speak for Sears Island, it's incumbent, not just for poets and photographers and old hippies, it's incumbent for all of us to be mindful of all that is happening here.'
"McCarthy said he gets why the island is an attractive place for development. 'We're in a time where wind energy is important,' he said. 'We need to find green sources of power, but the narrowness of that human perspective needs to be challenged.'
"Both McCarthy and Lawless join the group #FriendsOfSearsIsland in maintaining that #MackPoint is better situated for development.
"Even though 600 acres of the island are protected by a conservation easement, industrial disruption to the peaceful island could lead to #environmental impacts that may not be fully realized until after development, according to McCarthy."
#SaveSearsIsland #ProtectNature #WednesdaysForWildlife #Maine #WindTurbines #WindPort #Maine #PenobscotBay #ProtectSearsIsland #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheDunes #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #EndangeredSpecies #GovernorJanetMills #GreenEnergy -
Letter: Save #SearsIsland
by Opinion Contributor
June 17, 2024"The article '#SpragueEnergy pushes #WindPort' in the June 15 Bangor Daily News Business section highlights the perfectly reasonable argument that #MackPoint should be reconsidered as the site for the proposed wind port. According to Jim Therriault, vice president of materials handling for Sprague, new information is available from research and studies. Things have changed since the state first targeted Sears Island. The arguments of dredging, construction costs and environmental concerns all have new facts and figures since the state (prematurely?) made the executive decision to use Sears Island for the wind port.
"Those who want to save Sears Island from the wind port construction that I believe would be the destruction of that beautiful local treasure sincerely hope that the state will do the responsible and reasonable thing. That they will take a good, strong look at what Sprague is offering.
"Hopefully, the decision to use Sears Island is not cast in stone and is reversible if facts warrant it.
"Too much is at stake to allow the state to stubbornly refuse to reconsider a decision this important. Someone in an impartial position needs to come to the table and study the facts. The new facts. If possible, let’s save Sears Island!"
- Sue Shaw
Penobscot, Mainehttps://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/06/17/opinion/letters/save-sears-island-wind-port-mack-point/
#ProtectNature #Nature #GulfOfMaine #Environment #EndangeredSpecies #ProtectSearsIsland #WindTerminal #SandDunes
#ProtectWahsumkik #Wahsumkik
#EndangeredSpecies #ProtectTheDunes #WabanakiAlliance #Wassumkeag #CorporateColonialism #PenobscotBay #Greenwashing #JanetMills -
#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 -
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