After a series of public information workshops in September along the coast of Maine, the Maine Department of Conservation announced (pdf) on Tuesday that it has narrowed the potential sites for an offshore wind energy demonstration site from seven to four sites. The four sites include areas off Boon Island, Damariscove Island, Monhegan Island and the town of Cutler. This site will be used by the University of Maine national offshore wind demonstration project, recently awarded an $8 Million grant from the Department of Energy, to test deepwater wind turbine technology. The State explained that the consultation process has allowed the State to choose the areas with the fewest impacts on existing fisheries and wildlife.
The Department of Conservation will be accepting comments until November 30th. Legislation passed this June requires the Department to select a site by December 15th, 2009.
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