DoomsdaysCW<p>Bills revive debate over <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SearsIsland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SearsIsland</span></a> port plan</p><p>Maine Public | By Peter McGuire<br>Published March 12, 2025 </p><p>"Lawmakers heard more than five hours of testimony Wednesday from both sides of a debate over preserving Sears Island in the Town of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Searsport" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Searsport</span></a>.</p><p>"A pair of bills from state representative Reagan Paul would extend a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ConservationEasement" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ConservationEasement</span></a> across the island and restore <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SandDuneProtections" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SandDuneProtections</span></a> in a 330-acre parcel set aside for development.</p><p>"The Winterport Republican said it's time to end decades of controversial port proposals for the island in the town of Searsport. The latest plan is a floating offshore wind port by the Maine Department of Transportation that has so far failed to attract federal funding.</p><p>"'And yet <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MDOT" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MDOT</span></a> refuses to face reality, doubling down on failure and proving this is not about offshore wind, it is about pushing <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndustrialDevelopment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>IndustrialDevelopment</span></a> at any cost,' Paul told members of the legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee.</p><p>"Local <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/conservationists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>conservationists</span></a> support the proposal and said the highest and best use of the island is as a wild area. Any commercial development, including the wind port, can be done at nearby <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MackPoint" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MackPoint</span></a>, a fuel and materials terminal."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-03-12/bills-revive-debate-over-sears-island-port-plan" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">mainepublic.org/climate/2025-0</span><span class="invisible">3-12/bills-revive-debate-over-sears-island-port-plan</span></a> <br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SaveSearsIsland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SaveSearsIsland</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ProtectNature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ProtectNature</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Maine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Maine</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WindTurbines" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>WindTurbines</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WindPort" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>WindPort</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PenobscotBay" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PenobscotBay</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ProtectSearsIsland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ProtectSearsIsland</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ProtectTheForest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ProtectTheForest</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ProtectTheDunes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ProtectTheDunes</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WindTerminal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>WindTerminal</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SandDunes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SandDunes</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ProtectWahsumkik" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ProtectWahsumkik</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EndangeredSpecies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EndangeredSpecies</span></a></p>