Maine Offshore Wind Research Advisory Board Established

The advisory board of the Maine Offshore Wind Research Consortium, which will advise the State on research priorities in support of responsible offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine, held its first meeting on February 14.  The expert advisory board includes members representing Maine’s fishing industry, wildlife experts, scientists, the offshore wind industry, and State agencies.

The Consortium, directed by legislation signed by Governor Janet Mills in 2021 with bipartisan support of the Maine Legislature, will support Maine’s research into the cost-effective operation of floating offshore wind , and how it interacts with the marine environment, wildlife, the fishing industry, shipping and navigation routes, and more.  The Consortium, will also help outline research strategies for the Gulf of Maine Floating Offshore Wind Research Array, an energy research project proposed to deploy 10-12 turbines on semi-submersible floating concrete platforms pioneered by the University of Maine.

The Consortium will also collaborate closely with other states and regional and national science and research partners, including the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, and the Regional Wildlife Science Consortium, of which the Governor’s Energy Office is a member. For more about the consortium, visit maineoffshorewind.org.

Members of the Consortium include:

Commercial and recreational harvesting interests

• Patrice McCarron, Maine Lobstermen’s Association
• Jack Cunningham, Maine Lobster Union
• Ben Martens, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association
• Terry Alexander, F/V Jocka
• Mary Beth Tooley, O’Hara Corp
• Chris Weiner, F/V Elizabeth Ames, American Bluefin Tuna Association
• Bob Humphrey, Sport-Ventures

Scientists from private and public research institutions

• Alison Bates, Colby College
• Damian Brady, University of Maine
• Wing Goodale, Biodiversity Research Institute
• Nick Record, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
• Graham Sherwood, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
• Sean Todd, College of the Atlantic
• Anthony Viselli, University of Maine
• Gayle Zydlewski, Maine Sea Grant

Offshore wind industry experience

• Dave Cowan, Diamond Offshore Wind
• Wojciech Wiechowski, RWE
• Laura Morse, Mainstream

Coastal community representatives

• Bill Needelman, Portland Waterfront Coordinator
• TBD

Maine-based environmental groups

• Jocelyn Runnebaum, The Nature Conservancy Maine
• Sarah Haggerty, Maine Audubon

State agencies

• Carl Wilson, Department of Marine Resources
• John Perry, Inland Fish and Wildlife
• Stephanie Watson, Governor’s Energy Office

At-large

• Daniel Salerno, Fisheries Scientist, Limington, Maine