We are writing not in opposition to Offshore Wind in Searsport, as both local and state media have implied, but in opposition to choosing Sears Island as the preferred location for this development. Mack Point seems to be the obviously better choice, It is the fastest option to permit and construct a wind port in Penobscot Bay that meets the 100 acre size requirement. Dredging needed at Mack Point is minimal, compared with Sears Island, with less potential sediment contamination. 

Concerns about safety for workers on Mack Point due to wind direction seems to be addressed by the June 2023 Moffat and Nichols design. And construction costs considering all infrastructure work, when causeway expansion and access work is included for Sears Island, appear to be essentially equal for Mack Point and Sears Island. As Mack Point is already an industrial site, it seems that dredging a deeper channel has been on the docket for about 20 years! 

Perhaps most importantly, developing  Mack Point as opposed to Sears Island has strong support from the regional community. Sears Island is a beloved and valued spot by hundreds if not thousands of  citizens. It is the largest undeveloped island on the East Coast, and its importance as a free, accessible recreational  area will be totally lost if it is chosen as the location for the Wind Port. The ecological value — in carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, as a haven for migratory birds, as essential eelgrass habitat – is not replaceable.  

We will never see an island like this again. Ever. Use Mack Pont  for the proposed Offshore Wind Port. Please!

Meredith Bruskin lives in Swanville