March 18, 2024 — Federal regulators have made a final designation of roughly 2 million acres in the Gulf of Maine where offshore wind turbines can be deployed to help provide power to New England.
The boundary set by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management does not include any part of the federal lobster management area 1, where the vast majority of lobster fishing occurs in the gulf. That fishing area extends from the edge of state waters, about three miles offshore, to about 40 miles from shore.
Some of the closest points in Maine to the wind energy area are the islands of Matinicus, Criehaven and Monhegan: its uppermost section is roughly 40 miles south of them. The closest mainland community is Port Clyde, about 50 miles away.
The oddly-shaped wind zone then extends to the southwest, ending about 23 miles due east of Cape Cod. Its most remote sections are about 90 miles from the mainlands of Maine and Massachusetts.
The selection was applauded by the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, even though the group remains more broadly opposed to any wind power development in the Gulf of Maine. In a statement, the group said that it appreciates that the zone won’t interfere with the lobster fishing grounds, but that it remains “steadfast” in its larger opposition.
“There are still too many unanswered questions about the impacts of offshore wind on the marine environment, commercial fishermen and our fishing heritage,” the association said.