Maine Republican legislators write Trump asking for further action to stop offshore wind

Maine Republican legislators wrote a letter to President Donald Trump thanking him for his recent action on offshore wind and asking him to take it a step further. 

The letter sent Thursday was authored by Rep. Reagan Paul (R-Winterport). Offshore wind was a key issue for Paul in her reelection campaign last year after the state announced its hopes to build a port in her district to support its larger goals to develop 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine by 2040.

“Common sense, economics and environmental concerns are against the offshore wind projects proposed by Democrats for the Gulf of Maine,” Paul said in a news release Thursday, noting her appreciation for Trump’s swift action on the matter. 

She went on to say that she and her Republican legislative colleagues “are asking his administration to finish the job before irrevocable harm is inflicted on marine wildlife, coastal communities and our quality of life.”  

On the first day of Trump’s administration, he issued an executive order for a temporary halt in new or renewed offshore wind leases in all areas of the outer continental shelf. It also included a review of the federal government’s leasing and permitting process for existing wind projects. 

Maine Republicans are asking Trump and incoming Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to take the order one step further by revoking the existing leases and permits in the Gulf of Maine. The letter is referring to the four lease areas auctioned off in October, as well as the lease for a research array the state was awarded earlier last year. 

“Taking this action would demonstrate a continued commitment to protecting coastal economics, navigation safety, national security, and environmental integrity,” the letter states.

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the agency within the U.S. Department of Interior responsible for managing energy resources on the outer shelf, has outlined eight lease areas off the coast of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. 

Republicans also said that offshore wind puts Maine’s fishing industry at risk. The current lease areas avoid the vital fishing area known as Lobster Management Area 1, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden introduced legislation last week to codify those protections into federal law.

As Maine has set clean energy and climate goals, developing offshore wind as a power source has been at the crux of meeting those ambitions. The Governor’s Energy Office recently released a technical report showing that while it is possible to meet the state’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2040, wind and solar are key components of meeting increased electrification demands from plug-in cars and heating options.