Last July, Gov. Mills signed into law “An Act Regarding the Procurement of Energy from Offshore Wind Resources,” officially putting Maine on the way to becoming a major player in clean energy production. (Not only for our own state, but for the entire Northeast region.)

The potential for Maine in this role is significant since winds in the Gulf of Maine are consistently among the strongest in the U.S. – especially during the winter when energy needs are high. This would present an exceptional opportunity for reducing carbon emissions and also as an economic boon to our state. However, for this opportunity to become a reality, there must be a national energy grid that has the capacity to effectively conduct clean electricity within Maine and beyond.

A foundational step toward this end is outlined in the “Big Wires” act that has recently been introduced in both houses of Congress. This would establish requirements for inter-regional transmission of electricity so that, during extreme weather events, energy could be easily shared from regions where the supply is plentiful to areas where it’s desperately needed, such as during blackouts. Achieving this upgrade would necessitate the expansion of transmission capacity, which would also allow the grid to accommodate the influx of electricity that will result from rapid expansion of solar and wind energy production across the country.

I encourage Sens. King and Collins, and Reps. Pingree and Golden to sign on as co-sponsors of this important measure.

Tom Berry
Kennebunk

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