Huzzas to Portland Press Herald’s editorial staff and staff writers. Their comprehensive coverage of the recent deep-water wind debacle deserves applause. Future generations will owe these hard-working journalists a debt of gratitude as they attempt to understand one of the great failures of our day, the story of Maine’s fall from a commanding lead in the nation’s deep-water wind program to an also ran.

They will read about our treatment of Norway’s Statoil Corp. that came here bearing the golden goose and, after spending a million dollars, was given a handshake and shown the door. They will ask why a state in dire need of industrial development would turn away an offer of investment capital, unlimited carbon-free electrical power, several hundred construction jobs, a connection to international industry, and the opportunity to regain a manufacturing foothold in the production of parts, bits and pieces for towers and turbines.

Thanks to these same writers and reporters they will know why Maine didn’t get the big federal grant for deep-water wind.

Any state that will turn away a large corporation already having a working prototype of the project at hand (floating, deep-water turbines) in favor of a small university with limited budget, wouldn’t merit serious consideration. All of this should have been obvious to anyone reading this sad story as it actually happened and was documented in the PPH.

Edward Valente

Scarborough

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