Posted on June 26, 2023
A bill introduced by Gov. Janet Mills that would create visual impact standards for future offshore wind projects has passed the Maine Legislature and is on its way to her desk.
Advocates are describing the amended version of the bill as “groundbreaking,” as it now includes requirements that any port facilities that are built to support offshore wind energy in Maine include strong labor, community benefit and environmental standards.
Proponents say the changes would put Maine in a strong position to attract federal funding for future ports as President Joe Biden signed an executive order last year prioritizing federal funding for large-scale builds that include project labor agreements (PLAs). PLAs ensure construction is done by union workers making a prevailing wage determined to be livable.
However, it remains to be seen if Mills will support the final legislation. A conservative Democrat who has sided with business interests over workers on several proposals since taking office in 2019, Mills has so far been non-committal about her position on the proposed labor standards.
“A broad coalition of working people and environmental advocates have come together to support the creation of a new industry in Maine that can help us combat climate change, create good jobs and support coastal communities,” Francis Eanes, director of the Maine Labor Climate Council, said in a statement last week. “We are grateful for the strong support we’ve seen in the Legislature, and we are hopeful that Gov. Mills will support this groundbreaking step forward on one of her most high-profile priorities.”
The development of wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine is a top goal of the state’s economic and environmental planners, including Mills, who just after entering the Blaine House pledged before the United Nations to make Maine carbon neutral by 2045. She was also recently elected co-chair of the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of 25 governors committed to fighting climate change.
Prioritizing wind power means new deep-water ports would have to be developed in Maine for the construction of the floating turbines that can be anchored in waters exceeding depths of 200 feet, which is where the strongest winds in the Gulf of Maine are typically found. These floating turbines would be constructed in port and towed into place.
LD 1847, introduced by Sen. Chip Curry (D-Waldo) on the governor’s behalf, initially proposed that any future offshore wind port would have to undergo a review of its potential impact on the “scenic character” on the surroundings, using a new visual impact standard.
The bill was amended to include provisions laid out in another bill by Curry, LD 1818, that would require the use of PLAs in the ports for all on-site turbine construction.
The governor’s bill was also amended to require that ports develop specific plans for recruiting and employing a diverse workforce that includes Indigenous people, people of color, immigrants, and people from rural Maine. The measure would also require ports to seek federal funding for zero-emission equipment.
The changes are in line with steps taken by the Biden administration. Significant resources have been set aside in the 2021 Infrastructure bill, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and the Floating Offshore Wind EarthShot Initiative to spur the construction of floating offshore wind. Guidance issued by the administration prioritizes projects that include strong labor standards.
Maine’s corporate lobbyists, including the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, have voiced blanket opposition to PLAs in the past, and opposed LD 1818, arguing that such provisions shut non-unionized general contractors out of new construction bids. Only 5% of contractors in Maine are unionized.
Despite often prioritizing the interests of business groups — such as recently meeting with them behind closed doors to discuss a paid family and medical leave proposal — Mills has shown some openness to PLAs in the past.
Upon taking office, she signed legislation to permit state and local governments to use PLAs on publicly funded projects. Last year, Mills also allowed a bill that required prevailing wages and equity standards on large renewable energy projects to become law without her signature.
“For Maine to meet its goals to be carbon neutral, the state must develop significant new sources of clean energy,” Eanes said. “This bill will ensure that the shift to renewable, sustainable energy also creates good-paying jobs, helps to grow the middle-class and ensures host communities benefit from a new industry.”
