{"id":350236,"date":"2024-11-05T17:00:54","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T16:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=350236"},"modified":"2024-11-05T17:00:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T16:00:57","slug":"feds-refuse-to-fund-floating-offshore-wind-project-in-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=350236","title":{"rendered":"Feds refuse to fund floating offshore wind project in Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
July 8, 2013 – Windfloat Floating Offshore Foundation and Vestas V-80 2MW Offshore Wind Turbine, Povoa de Varzim, Portugal. (Photo by Senu Sirnivas \/ NREL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From CFACT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Bonner Cohen, Ph. D.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dealing a stunning financial blow to a controversial renewable energy project off the New England Coast, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Oct. 21 rejected a grant application for $456 million to build offshore wind turbines and install them on floating platforms in the Gulf of Maine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision marks a setback for Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), a coterie of environmental groups, and \u2013 in an odd twist \u2013 the Biden-Harris administration, an enthusiastic backer of offshore wind projects. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the awarding of more than $4.2 billion in grants for 44 green-energy projects nationwide. DOT officials did not say why the Maine project was not<\/a> among the recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike traditional offshore wind installations, in which giant turbines are anchored to the ocean floor, the Maine project is designed to be a port, where turbines are to be assembled at what is essentially a boatyard. The turbines are then transported to and mounted on floating platforms at sea, where they are attached to the ocean floor by means of flexible anchors, chains, or steel cables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the beginning, however, the Maine project encountered stiff local resistance. After some wrangling, the project\u2019s backers settled on state-owned Sears Island, \u201cthe largest undeveloped, uninhabited, causeway-accessible island on the eastern coast of the United States,\u201d according<\/a> to State Representative Regan Paul (R).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSears Island has long been known as a place of tranquility and home to abundant wildlife, migratory birds, botanical resources, and historical sites,\u201d Paul, who led the fight against the project, points out. \u201cIt boasts a wealth of Wabanaki [tribal] history as well as historical sites dating back to the Revolutionary War.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Floating wind turbines are still in the experimental stage, and the State of Maine has yet to conduct a thorough assessment of the Sears Island project\u2019s environmental and economic impacts. An indication of what could be in store for coastal Maine \u2013 and anyplace else considering such a project \u2013 was provided by a September 2023 report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Though the report focused on the impacts of floating wind turbine development on the West Coast, its conclusions are a cautionary tale for projects like the one in Maine. The NREL study<\/a> says communities likely to be impacted by development of a wind port will face \u201cdiverse environmental, health, educational, economic, and accessibility burdens that could impact how much they benefit from new or expanded ports and job opportunities \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That finding was echoed by a recent Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) assessment of the Vinyard Wind Project off the coast of Massachusetts. BOEM concluded that a wind port upgrade would increase revenues and create some jobs but would lead to displacement or reduction of commercial and recreational fishing opportunities, potential harm to wildlife, increased vessel traffic and noise, visual impairment of the seaside scenery during daytime and nighttime hours, and disturbances of cultural resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This comes at a time when the commercial viability of offshore wind energy \u2013 both stationary and floating \u2013 is in doubt thanks to the failure of numerous projects along the Atlantic Coast. The Biden administration pledged to install 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, but the rollout has fallen far short of expectations. Currently, the U.S. has only two operational, industrial-scale wind facilities \u2013 one in Massachusetts, the other in Rhode Island. In addition to ongoing inflation and supply chain bottlenecks, high interest rates have boosted the already substantial upfront costs of offshore wind power. While some states, including Maine after DOT\u2019s rejection of the Sears Island grant, are eager to stay in the hunt, offshore wind\u2019s contribution to the \u201cclean energy transition\u201d is still likely to face delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For residential and commercial power customers in Maine, the proposed Sears Island project would result in higher utility bills. The current fixed-bottom offshore wind costs are $95 per megawatt hour as opposed to $145 per megawatt hour for floating wind turbines, according to Blackridge Research & Consulting. Both are intermittent, and the part-time energy they produce will never meet the demands of a full-time economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Paul, whose coastal district would host the wind port, is supported in her opposition to the project by local citizens, assisted by the Washington-based Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT). Her arguments go far beyond dollars and cents by putting today\u2019s government-backed energy transition into perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe climate has been changing ever since the earth started turning, and it will continue to change long after us,\u201d she notes. \u201cThere is no climate crisis that justifies Maine take these extremely damaging actions, as Maine accounts for a mere .000098 percent of the world\u2019s carbon emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article originally appeared at Real Clear Energy<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dealing a stunning financial blow to a controversial renewable energy project off the New England Coast, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Oct. 21 rejected a grant application for $456 million to build offshore wind turbines and install them on floating platforms in the Gulf of Maine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":350237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691820710,691831341,691829253,691831342,691831340],"class_list":{"0":"post-350236","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-biden-harris-administration","9":"tag-floating-offshore-wind-project","10":"tag-maine","11":"tag-national-renewable-energy-laboratory-nrel","12":"tag-new-england-coast","14":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0Floating-wind-turbine-portugal-dept-of-energy.jpg?fit=1600%2C1096&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1t6Y","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":377066,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=377066","url_meta":{"origin":350236,"position":0},"title":"Maine\u2019s floating wind program takes another hit","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/05\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The US Energy Department recently suspended a large grant at the University of Maine for research on floating wind technology. The full significance of this suspension will not be known until it plays out, but it is useful to see the context. This research plays a central role in Maine\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)\"","block_context":{"text":"EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=epa-environmental-protection-agency"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0ef996c57-1c9f-401b-9c64-61031fd40b2d.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0ef996c57-1c9f-401b-9c64-61031fd40b2d.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0ef996c57-1c9f-401b-9c64-61031fd40b2d.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0ef996c57-1c9f-401b-9c64-61031fd40b2d.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":342321,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=342321","url_meta":{"origin":350236,"position":1},"title":"CFACT report exposes Maine\u2019s massive floating wind folly","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/09\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Wind turbines are inefficient, intermittent, expensive, carry a heavy environmental footprint, and are not up to the task of powering the future.","rel":"","context":"In \"coast of Maine.\"","block_context":{"text":"coast of Maine.","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=coast-of-maine"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Floating-wind-turbine-portugal-dept-of-energy.jpg?fit=1200%2C822&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Floating-wind-turbine-portugal-dept-of-energy.jpg?fit=1200%2C822&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Floating-wind-turbine-portugal-dept-of-energy.jpg?fit=1200%2C822&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Floating-wind-turbine-portugal-dept-of-energy.jpg?fit=1200%2C822&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Floating-wind-turbine-portugal-dept-of-energy.jpg?fit=1200%2C822&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":344385,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=344385","url_meta":{"origin":350236,"position":2},"title":"Maine\u2019s massive \u201cfloating wind\u201d folly \u2014 my report","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"24\/09\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This report examines several fundamental aspects of the State of Maine\u2019s offshore wind development plan. It is divided into two parts. Part 1 examines certain economic issues, such as feasibility, cost, and progress to date. Part 2 explores the proposed development as it relates to the entire Gulf of Maine,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)\"","block_context":{"text":"Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bureau-of-ocean-energy-management-boem"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Floating-wind-turbine-portugal-dept-of-energy-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C822&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Floating-wind-turbine-portugal-dept-of-energy-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C822&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Floating-wind-turbine-portugal-dept-of-energy-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C822&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Floating-wind-turbine-portugal-dept-of-energy-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C822&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Floating-wind-turbine-portugal-dept-of-energy-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C822&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":330809,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=330809","url_meta":{"origin":350236,"position":3},"title":"Offshore Wind \u201cWake Effect\u201d","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/06\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The media bias in favor of industrial wind turbines is a sight to behold. Simple reporting of the facts, from costs to environmental tradeoffs, could inform the public and voters to quite possibly eliminate the government gravy train that disadvantages virtually all of us. That is, everyone except for wind\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Energy Transition\"","block_context":{"text":"Energy Transition","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=energy-transition"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0wake_effect.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0wake_effect.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0wake_effect.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0wake_effect.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0wake_effect.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":382732,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=382732","url_meta":{"origin":350236,"position":4},"title":"DOT asked to terminate illegal floating wind grant","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/06\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I have the honor and pleasure of co-signing a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, asking him to terminate a half billion-dollar grant made by the Biden administration to the West Coast wind industry. 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