AUGUSTA, Maine —There is enormous untapped energy potential just off Maine’s shores, according to a new report by the National Wildlife Federation.
That group and other environmental advocates are renewing their push for the development of more offshore wind turbines in Maine.
The National Wildlife Federation report is called “Catching the Wind: State Actions Needed to Seize the Golden Opportunity of Atlantic Offshore Wind Power.”
The report says investment in wind power off the Atlantic coast could generate enough energy to power all of the households in New Jersey and South Carolina.
The environmental advocates, along with politicians from both sides of the aisle, are touting wind energy as a clean and renewable energy source that could spur Maine’s economy and create jobs.
The subtext of a Thursday morning press release from the Natural Resources Council of Maine is that the biggest roadblock to sustainable wind power is Gov. Paul LePage.
Last fall, an Associated Press investigation revealed that members of the LePage administration worked behind the scenes to derail a plan for the state to partner with Norwegian company Statoil to bring an offshore wind project to Maine.
Environmental advocates say the fact that that deal fell apart may be why the University of Maine wasn’t able to secure federal funding last spring to help support another wind power project.
