Maine’s plan to build an offshore wind port on an undeveloped island is facing pushback from some environmental groups, exemplifying the trade-offs and land use conflicts embedded in the clean energy transition.
Gov. Janet Mills (D) announced this year that Sears Island was the “preferred” location for a port to support future floating offshore wind farms. A slew of environmental groups that want to see offshore wind rapidly take off have supported — or at least do not oppose — the preliminary decision.
But the Alliance for Sears Island, a coalition of small Maine-based groups, and the Maryland-based nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) are pushing back. Both the alliance and PEER said that the plans for a port would harm wetlands and other natural resources — and that legal action could be on the table if the state plows ahead.
“Sears Island is an intact ecosystem. It’s an amazing habitat and they want to destroy it,” said Kyla Bennett, director of science policy at PEER, which is staffed by former EPA and state environmental officials.
