AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine House of Representatives on Tuesday opposed a proposal from Gov. Janet Mills to roll back sand dune protections as the state seeks to build an offshore wind terminal on Sears Island.
The Democratic governor’s bill came out last month after the administration announced in February it would use Sears Island as a staging ground. The vote in the House was a major setback for Mills’ signature cause of establishing Maine as a national player in offshore wind, which is opposed by fishermen.
Rep. Gerry Runte, D-York, submitted the bill after he said the governor’s administration had approached him to share they had recently realized dunes on Sears Island posed an issue that the Legislature needs to resolve.
The measure would exempt a wind terminal from coastal sand dune protections. Maine Department of Transportation spokesperson Paul Merrill previously noted the dune affected by the project is not naturally occurring and accumulated due to the placement of a jetty.
But 21 House Democrats joined most Republicans in defeating the bill Tuesday in a 80-65 vote after several lengthy floor speeches raised concerns that a mix of conservationists, conservatives and tribes also expressed about the project and harm to the uninhabited and undeveloped Sears Island. It faces further action in both chambers.
Democrats who opposed the bill ranged from more centrist members like Rep. Jim Dill of Old Town to progressives like House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross of Portland, while nine Republicans supported it.
Even some supporters of the bill expressed struggles with backing it. Rep. Valli Geiger, D-Rockland, voted for it but said the process around the sand dunes was “deeply troubling.”
Mills has previously noted the deepwater port is key to Maine’s climate goals that include using 100 percent renewable energy by 2040 and said it could become operational by 2029. In a statement, Ben Goodman, a spokesperson for the governor, said the administration looks forward “to having conversations with lawmakers in the coming days.”
Without this bill or similar language in another one, Goodman said the state “would lose a once-in-a-generation opportunity” to create jobs, generate clean energy and “protect our environment and the health of Maine people from the ravages of climate change.”
An alliance of conservation-minded groups argued for using Mack Point instead of Sears Island for the wind port because it is already developed and privately owned. While each site had a development price tag between $400 million to $500 million, the Mills administration said Mack Point would cost more due to its private ownership and additional challenges.
Friends of Sears Island, a nonprofit that manages the conserved portion of Sears Island and argued for using nearby Mack Point for the offshore wind port, was “surprised, but very pleased,” with the House vote, according to a statement from its board.
“We have been concerned that this is an inappropriate attempt at an end-run around existing regulations,” the board said.