Congresswoman Chellie Pingree tells secretary that Maine’s marine experience makes it a natural fit for developing offshore wind power

Today Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu visited the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composite Center in Orono to see the center’s efforts to develop deepwater offshore wind power. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree accompanied the secretary with other members of Maine’s Congressional delegation.
 
“It was very exciting to have Secretary Chu visit Maine to see the great progress the state is making to develop sources of clean, renewable energy,” said Pingree.  “I was glad to be able to tell him about Maine’s extensive experience in marine construction and why it makes our state a perfect leader for developing this new power source.”
 
Last fall Maine received an $8 million stimulus grant to develop a deepwater offshore wind-power test center—Maine’s delegation had met with Secretary Chu a year ago to support the funding request.  The grant is matched with other investments in a collaboration of over 30 public and private partners.
 
“Offshore wind presents an incredible opportunity for Maine,” said Pingree.  “It has the potential of creating many good-paying jobs in our state to manufacture the turbines and the components that go with them.  Mainers are more than ready and more than able to do this work.”
 
“At the same time offshore wind power would produce clean and renewable energy,” Pingree said.  “With barrels of oil spewing from the Gulf floor as we speak, we should need no other reminder about how critical it is to shift to clean-energy sources as quickly as we can.  I was happy that Secretary Chu was able to see today that Maine is already rising to that challenge.”
 
Pingree has introduced legislation that would force BP to pay royalties on the oil it has spilled and would support the proceeds going toward clean-energy efforts like the one at the University of Maine.