Lawmakers Turn Backs on Local Residents, Environment, and Transparency with Dune Bill Decision

April 17, 2024, by Chris Buchanan, published in The Free Press

This afternoon lawmakers flipped their vote on The Governor’s Bill, LD 2266, “An Act Regarding Offshore Wind Terminals Located in Coastal Sand Dune Systems”, after voting 80-65 against the bill on April 9. It passed the Senate during an unannounced session on Monday, April 15, which prevented public attendance.The bill overturns EPA protections of a sand dune on Sears Island so it may be bulldozed into the ocean, along with over 1.2 million cubic yards of soil, creating a new 25 acre tarmac off of the Island to support the experimental Off-Shore Wind Manufacturing, Assembling, and Launching port. The dune formed naturally over time behind the jetty that was constructed illegally by the Maine Department of Transportation (MEDOT) decades ago.Representative Reagan Paul, a republican, represents Searsport in the House. She made several floor speeches in an effort to protect the Island and kill the bill. In a statement, she said, “I tried to protect Sears Island by submitting legislation to put the entire island into a nature conservancy. That was voted down. I stood in support of Sears Island before committees and on the House floor. I will continue to fight for its preservation.”She continued, “It is disturbing that lobbyists, unions, representatives of the Maine Labor Climate Council and the Searsport town manager were able to impose enough pressure to flip enough votes to remove all obstacles to the destruction of Sears Island. This whole process has been politics at its worst.”State lawmakers in favor of off-shore wind made the decision before seeing a report from the MEDOT anticipated in June, that is expected to incorporate the Moffat and Nichols Engineers’ updated 2023 report, and Sprague Energy’s Appledore Engineering Report from 2023. Both reports indicate substantially less dredging- 70,000 cu yards and 61,000 cu yards respectively, of dredge material be removed. The Sprague Report addresses concerns for worker safety, and boat traffic in the federal channel and concludes all of Maine’s Off-shore Wind goals of a full ~3.0GW commercial wind installation can be completed at Mack Point. Matt Burns of the Maine Port Authority has agreed that Mack Point is suitable.Representative Holly Eaton, a democrat from Deer Isle, also voted against the bill and tried to sway lawmakers. In a statement, she said, “In the ongoing effort to protect Sears Island’s pristine beauty within Penobscot Bay, my collaboration with local stakeholders remains steadfast. Regardless of the outcome, our shared commitment to preserving this ecological treasure remains unyielding, reflecting our dedication to environmental stewardship.”Despite the disappointing outcome, residents of Searsport and surrounding communities are steadfast in their commitment to protect the Island from this development. Local residents delivered a petition to the Searsport Selectboard two weeks ago, and went again last night to urge the Selectmen to write a letter to the State, indicating the town’s preference for Mack Point. The selectboard voted to request an information session with the State.At a public meeting in Searsport last June with the Maine Department of Transportation, local citizens overwhelmingly expressed support for using Mack Point for the proposed facility, or no development at all. Many locals want to see the state uphold the Sears Island Planning Initiative Consensus Agreement signed by Governor Baldacci, stating that the state would use Mack Point as a “preferred site” for port development, and avoid “soil harvesting.” Governor Janet Mills is poised to break the agreement, destining the State to face a number of lawsuits, delaying potential jobs and threatening the potential of Off-Shore Wind’s success in Penobscot Bay. The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility warned of this litigation in a letter dated April 1, 2024.The ecological significance of Sears Island related to the health of Penobscot Bay cannot be underrated. Other than having the only three natural dunes in the region, the contiguous forest and wetlands are estimated to sequester 100 – 130 tons of carbon per acre by 2050, according to The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Land Mapping Tool. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report states that retaining intact ecosystems are more useful in curbing harmful changes in our climate than wind projects. And Sears Island is the last, the only, undeveloped island off the Maine Coast with causeway access. In addition it is free, providing an invaluable asset to working people who want to experience the undeveloped Maine coast, or lose themselves in the mature hardwoods. The wind port could impact up to ⅓ of the shoreline, and ⅓ of the entire Island, not to mention the impacts of upgrading roads, running electric, water, and sewer, fencing for security, and new lights on the bay.