Janet Mills won't join group that supports offshore drilling

[jpak]

Source: Bangor Daily News

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills has reaffirmed her opposition to oil and gas drilling off the state’s coast by declining to participate in a governors’ group.

Mills, a Democrat, says Maine will not participate in the Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition because of concerns about the toll drilling could take on the state’s environment and marine resources. Mills wrote in a letter to the group’s chair that its “work promoting the expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling is incompatible with Maine’s interests.”

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Read more: https://bangordailynews.com/2019/02/25/politics/janet-mills-wont-join-group-that-supports-offshore-drilling/

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Another Big FU to LePage.

Love it

[bluedigger]

1. My friends from her hometown are pretty riled up about some transmission corridor for CMP.

Apparently she wants to cut a swath through central Maine to carry power from Canada to Massachusetts.

[mainer]

2. yeah, that's an interesting and complex issue.

While it is going to be ugly, seeing those transmission lines, I can understand why an environmentalist MIGHT support it. Those lines are carrying green energy (hydroelectric) from Point A (Canada) to Point B (Massachusetts.) It means Massachusetts won't have to burn as many fossil fuels.

If you look at it in the global sense (less use of fossil fuels) it does make sense. But of course in Maine, it means we'll lose a swath of land (although the state will get a big chunk of money in exchange.)

[lagomorph777]

3. Could Maine tap into it and sell wind power? How about a linear park?

Maybe make key segments (in scenic areas) underground?

[mainer]

4. All good questions. I think underground is wildly expensive, though.

I was wondering about undersea cables, but apparently that's not possible.

[lagomorph777]

5. Underground is 10x aboveground cost, but if it helps you get through a sensitive area, worth it.

Also it's more reliable during severe weather. My neighborhood has underground wiring (admittedly not HV transmission lines) and it's been amazingly reliable for decades of storms etc.

Oh, and undersea cables are a fundamental part of offshore wind farms. It's do-able, but perhaps not economically feasible for the particular route discussed in Maine.