Maine government's sudden expansion of wind development - fishing industry responds.

The December 16, 2020 webinar about the state of Maine's latest offshore windpower initiative revealed an enormous change in plans. LISTEN BELOW TO AUDIO S OF GOVT & FISHFOLK  AT zoom meeting

Rather than 1-2 floating turbines off Monhegan, the state is now promoting 12 floating  "research turbines"  offshore the Sheepscot River as a 20 year "research" project -  selling power to the grid . Attendees mostly Midcoast fishfolk and reps of both the Maine Lobstering Union and the Maine Lobstermen's Association were  very skeptical of the state's plan as as presented by Celina Cunningham of the Governor's Energy Office and  DMR Deputy Commissioner Meredith Mendelson and the words of Chris Wissemann of Mitsubishi-owned offshore power wannabees Diamond Offshore Wind Development , 

1. Intro by Celia Cunningham, Governor's Energy Office 9 min 

2. Intro Cunningham Part 2. 11 min

3. Maine Deputy Marine Commissioner Meredith Mendelson 4min 28 sec

4.  QA1  Chris Wissemann , Diamond Offshore Wind Devel. Chicago 6min 40sec

 

5 QA 2 John Williamson_Meredith Mendelson 7min45sec 5

6. QA 3 Alan Tracey, Vessel Services, Portland & Cunningham 5min 15sec 

7 Davd Sullivan Maine Lobstering Union 3min 54sec

8. Patrice McCarron, Maine Lobstermens Association

9. QA_Dan ___  & Cunningham_Mendelson 3min49sec

10. Genevieve McDonald Q: BOEM involvement 1min

11. QA Troy and Celina 1min15sec

12.  QA Tom  & Celina

13.  Closing Remarks 2min37sec

Full meeting 98minute mp3 recording 

FOAA 2016. ME Coastal Prog re Main AquaVentus April- November 2016

Maine Coastal Program's 11/22/16 response to FOAA  request re Aquaventus/Volturnus. The FOPB request was for "Public records in custody of you or your staff dating from April 1, 2016 to November 14, 2016 that pertain to the Maine Aquaventus /Volturnus floating ocean wind turbines project, slated to occupy the Maine Offshore Wind Test Center."    Below the links, see list of persons  within these emails

Part 1 Articles and reports forwarded to each other

Full Part 2  All emails in one pdf file

Part 2A, Laura Singer to Matt Nixon 6/29/16 and 7/1/16

Part 2B Barbara Hitchcock to Singer & Singer to Hitchcock 7/5/16

Part 2C Barbara Hitchcock - Nixon 7/6/16

Part 2D Bensinger to Burrowes. 7/12/16 (twice)

Part 2E Barbara Hitchcock, Matt Nixon, Laura Singer, 7/5 & 7/6

Part 2F Beth Nagusky, Todd Burrowes 6/27/ 6/30, 7/18

Part 2G Nixon, Leyden, Burrowes, Marvinney. 7/18, 7/28, 11/1,

Part 2H FOPB FOAA request 11/14/16

State Agencies in emails

Kathleen Leyden  <Kathleen.Leyden@maine.gov> Dir Maine Coastal Program (MCP)

Mark Bergeron  <Mark.Bergeron@maine.gov>   Dir DEP Bureau of Lands

Robert G. Marvinney <Robert.G.Marvinney@maine.gov>  ME Geologic Survey

Patrick C. Woodcock <Patrick.C.Woodcock@maine.gov> Governor's Energy Office

Meredith Mendelson <Meredith.Mendelson@maine.gov>  DMR Deputy Commissioner

Philip deMaynadier <Phillip.deMaynadier@maine.gov>  DIFW Coordinator

Todd Burrowes <Todd.Burrowes@maine.gov>  MCP federal consistency reviewer

Peggy Bensinger  <Peggy.Bensinger@maine.gov>  MDEP's  Asst AG

Matthew Nixon  <Matthew.E.Nixon@maine.gov>  MCP  GIS &  Ocean Planning

Monhegan Residents in emails

* Barbara Hitchcock barbaramonhegan@gmail.com Monhegan resHitchcock House

* Laura T Singer <lsinger@maine.rr.com> Monhegan Resident

Wind Industry in emails

* Beth Nagusky <bnagusky@leedco.org>  Lake Erie Energy Development ,Fmr Maine renewable energy czar

* Info@windindustry.com   "website for the windindustry"

* Val Stori  <val@cleanegroup.org> Clean Energy Group, http://www.cleanegroup.org/blog-author/val-stori/

Maine DMR presentation & QA on new mercury lobster closure 6/28/16. AUDIO

On June 28, 2016, Maine DMR held a meeting in Bucksport about the state's

Mendelson

new permanent closure of the lobster fishery of the mouth of Penobscot River and the SW tip of  Penobscot Bay. Attendees including lobstermen and environmentalists. Listen to meeting audio  Read details below the audio links.

 AUDIO MP3s

* Part 1 Intro by DMR asst commissioner Meredith Mendelson  6min 20sec

* Part 2 DMR's Carl Wilson giving audio- slide presentation. 9min 39sec

* Part 3  Mendelson summarizes 2min 38sec
* Q&A 1, Wayne Canning, Belfast Lobsterman, 6min 15sec
* Q&A 2 Kim Tucker 12min
* Q&A 3  5 min
* Q&A4. 6min 43sec Meeting End

Wilson

Presenters DMR deputy commissioner Meredith Mendelson and Carl Wilson director of DMR's Marine Science Bureau, gave presentations. 

They then took questions, along with state toxicologist Andy Smith .  

(DMR's FAQ on the new mercury closure)  

Wayne Canning (standing)

Zone D fisherman Wayne Canning of Belfast, eco-attorney Kim Ervin Tucker of Islesboro, Ron Huber of  Friends of Penobscot Bay and  others peppered the officials with questions.

Attorney Tucker challenged the state's methodology in arriving at locations of higher or lower levels of mercury contamination in the sediments and lobsters of the lower river and upper bay.

She also presented DMR with copies of  a new DEP permit allowing the Mallinkrodt company (owner of the property that is the chief source  of mercury in the river and bay.

Kim Ervin Tucker

The permit allows the company  to increase its discharge of mercury-tainted water into the river by 40,000 gallons per day.

 This  increases  the discharge from  the existing 60K gallons per day  to 100K gallons per day)

MORE TO COME(check back later)