Yesterday, the Maine Senate voted unanimously in support of LD 1465– An Act to Facilitate Testing and Demonstration of Renewable Ocean Energy Technology (pdf). As described in an earlier article by Pierce Atwood, this legislation is the result of the work of Maine’s Ocean Energy Task Force (OETF ), which Governor Baldacci established in November 2008 for the purpose of developing a strategy to meet or exceed Maine’s goal to install at least 300 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2020.
The work of the OETF is not yet done, however. The next challenge is to select the sites appropriate for development. The OETF has already started this process by reviewing a variety of data and hearing presentations on the siting plans of Massachusetts(pdf) and Rhode Island(pdf). But the process may prove time-consuming. A year ago, Massachusetts was the first state to embark on the effort to create a comprehensive planning document that maps out the potential locations for offshore wind and other projects. A draft of the Massachusetts plan is expected to be release on July 1, 2009; it isn’t expected to be final until January 1, 2010.
For more information regarding LD 1465 or the Ocean Energy Task Force, contact Sarah Verville (207-791-1371 or sverville@pierceatwood.com) or Elizabeth Butler (207-791-1226 or ebutler@pierceatwood.com).
Comments