Environmentalists name public remark course of for offshore wind port a charade
Environmentalists are decrying a year-long course of meant to collect public suggestions on the place to construct a deepwater offshore wind port, calling it a “charade.”
They are saying state officers didn’t adequately have interaction the general public or tribal communities and successfully determined the place to assemble the port lengthy earlier than the method started.
The Maine Division of Transportation has been making an inner case for Sears Island whereas “giving an phantasm of an neutral evaluation of port prospects to the general public,” Matt Cannon, the state conservation and power director for Sierra Membership Maine, stated in feedback on the closing assembly of the Offshore Wind Port Advisory Group.
“Some,” he stated, “see it as a breach of public belief.”
State officers have stated they’re contemplating a number of areas for the 100-acre port, together with Eastport, Mack Level and Sears Island, and don’t count on to decide on a closing location till subsequent yr. The officers insist they haven’t made a closing resolution.
However contributors within the course of, which started in Might 2022, stated the state has lengthy advocated for Sears Island, the most important undeveloped island in Penobscot Bay.
They consider officers haven’t critically thought-about different choices for the port, which might be the staging space for tools wanted to construct and preserve wind generators in federal waters within the Gulf of Maine.
These suspicions hardened after paperwork launched through a public data request submitted by Associates of Sears Island earlier this yr revealed inner discussions seeming to point an official choice for the island. Associates of Sears Island manages the paths on the conserved portion of the island.
The paperwork included a “Stakeholder Administration Plan” written by state-hired marketing consultant Kay Rand. The doc stated the objectives had been, partially, to “develop and execute a stakeholder outreach technique that may allow Governor Mills to … announce a dedication to pursue growth of Sears Island because the Renewable Power Port of the Northeast.”
The doc is dated Sept. 8, 2021 — eight months earlier than the stakeholder group held its first assembly — and mentions pursuing Sears Island because the port no less than 4 instances.
Rand stated final week that the language was primarily based on conclusions of an early model of a examine by Moffat & Nichol recommending Sears Island as the situation, however that the group was nonetheless accumulating knowledge on all websites.
“The Stakeholder Plan was designed across the public launch of that report. Nothing extra,” Rand stated.
The Moffat & Nichol report that was ultimately launched to the general public doesn’t advocate a selected location, as a substitute saying that “with modifications, each the Mack Level and Sears Island websites can obtain or surpass the minimal required standards.”
Critics level to different inner paperwork, together with a presentation given by the Division of Transportation in November 2021 and a preliminary design proposal it commissioned in October that additionally point out creating the island, regardless of public assurances that no resolution had been made.
Matt Burns, government director of the Maine Port Authority and one of many main company representatives for the discussions, stated final week that the state had not selected a port.
“We’ll proceed to conduct a strong and clear public engagement course of in any space which may be impacted by a growth of a port facility,” he stated in an e-mail.
State officers have carried out outreach for almost two years, Burns added, and advisory group members visited Eastport and Searsport, whereas Transportation Commissioner Bruce Van Be aware had reached out to tribal representatives.
“There are lots of extra elements that should be thought-about earlier than the state decides concerning the location of the event of a port facility,” Burns stated. “These elements embody a strong evaluation of environmental knowledge to adjust to the Nationwide Environmental Allowing Act (NEPA) course of.”
Burns declined to take part in an informational assembly hosted by Associates of Sears Island in Might, citing scheduling conflicts, however did ship a video. The nonprofit stated the assembly attracted greater than 170 individuals, some with little understanding of the proposal.
“Some individuals thought the plan was to put in wind generators on Sears Island,” Rolf Olsen, president of Associates of Sears Island, stated in written feedback to the advisory group in June.
“Just a few understood that there was a plan that may lead to a brand new port, however nobody knew {that a} port with a footprint bigger than Tub Iron Works is likely to be inbuilt our city inside 5 years. This port would have an effect on life right here for residents and companies, regardless of if it had been constructed on Sears Island or on Mack Level.”
The port design would require no less than 100 acres of flat land to assemble the large concrete bases, blades and part components, in addition to 1,500 ft of water frontage and no energy strains or different obstructions overhead. Tub Iron Works, by comparability, occupies roughly 63 acres in downtown Tub, in line with property tax data.
The Division of Transportation’s official Fb web page, the place employees have solicited public suggestions on tasks just like the extension of the Japanese Path, carbon discount and long-range transportation planning, doesn’t seem to say the offshore wind port advisory group conferences.
On March 29, the day the group held its second-to-last offshore wind advisory assembly, a submit on the Fb web page requested which transportation tasks ought to be prioritized from a statewide record, and included a hyperlink to the record. “Have a look and tell us what you suppose.”
The offshore wind group has held no less than six conferences in numerous areas. They’ve been broadcast remotely however not recorded; a request by the Monitor to file an early assembly was denied. Minutes and different supplies can be found on a Division of Transportation web page devoted to the discussions.
Paul Merrill, director of communications for the division, stated in a textual content message final week that the division not often does social media posts for such conferences, though some challenge managers sometimes ask to do paid adverts. “You’d be hard-pressed to discover a assembly notification on our normal Fb, Twitter or Instagram feeds,” he stated.
State officers need to transfer shortly in constructing a port to assemble and preserve the huge floating generators with a purpose to compete towards different New England states within the rising offshore wind market.
Mack Level and Sears Island emerged early as the highest contenders within the course of, partially for his or her potential entry to deep water, rail and central location.
Preliminary estimates confirmed it could take longer and be way more costly to construct out Mack Level than Sears Island. However up to date figures present the price of developing a facility could be the identical for both location — between $400 million and $500 million — and take roughly six years, together with allowing and design.
The massive value distinction is available in leasing the land. The state owns Sears Island and would lease the land to an organization to function the port. That might make the method a lot less complicated and cheaper than creating a web site owned by a non-public entity, Burns of the Maine Port Authority stated.
Mack Level is owned by Sprague Power, which has stated it could make investments as much as $20 million to improve and transfer infrastructure to accommodate the event.
Jim Therriault, the vice chairman of supplies dealing with for the corporate, estimated Sprague may cost $90,000 per acre per yr to lease the land. That would quantity to $290 million to $490 million over 50 years. However Theriault argues that these prices are a part of operations and shouldn’t be thought-about when evaluating development prices, since they’d be paid by an operator in both state of affairs.
Cannon of Sierra Membership Maine argued that whereas the leasing value distinction is critical, the division hasn’t explored alternatives for federal funding, together with cash for brownfield remediation and Inflation Discount Act funding that may very well be used to offset prices at Mack Level.
“There are billions of {dollars} obtainable for numerous points of port growth,” Cannon stated.
Burns stated the Division of Transportation can’t embody potential federal funds within the evaluation as a result of it received’t have the ability to apply for them till a choice is made on the place to web site the port.
Conservationists say Mack Level, an working cargo terminal with a railroad, warehouses, liquid tank storage and deepwater dock that has dealt with a number of elements of onshore wind generators, is a extra acceptable place to construct a port than the shores of Sears Island. The state additionally has made current investments within the rail infrastructure and heavy bulk cargo dealing with tools at Mack Level.
Advocates have fought to maintain growth off Sears Island for many years. Roughly two-thirds of the island — round 601 of its 936 acres — are held in a conservation easement by Maine Coast Heritage Belief, with trails meandering all through. The state, in a 2009 deal, agreed to preserve a few of the island.
As a part of that settlement, the northwest nook of the island was earmarked for future growth as a port.
“I’ve come to know and admire many members of this group, so I’m saddened and pissed off by this year-long charade,” Searsport resident David Italiaander wrote in an e-mail to the group in late June, two days earlier than the ultimate assembly. “As a result of that’s what this was.”
One other resident registered an identical criticism.
“I’m sorry to say this course of has been an amazing disappointment,” wrote Becky Layton Bartovics, who recognized herself as a resident of Penobscot Bay. Growing offshore wind, she added, “is probably going crucial to affect the financial system and take away the degradation attributable to fossil gasoline use. Siting is vital.”
Editor’s word: Kate Cough’s husband, Caleb Jackson, works with Maine Coast Heritage Belief and is concerned in overseeing the conservation easement on Sears Island.
This story was initially revealed by The Maine Monitor, a nonprofit and nonpartisan information group. To get common protection from the Monitor, join a free Monitor publication right here.
