Senators Collins, King Announce Funding for the State of Maine for the Development of Offshore Wind and Renewable Energy Projects

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced today that the Maine Governor’s Energy Office, in partnership with Maine organization E2Tech, has been awarded $284,000 by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support the Maine Energy Planning Roadmap project that will establish a stakeholder-driven strategy to meet energy objectives set in the 2015 GEO Comprehensive Energy Plan. A second grant for $592,000 was awarded for the design of a “Regional Roadmap” for the increased adoption of local and regional offshore wind policies and projects. This project, led by New York State Energy Research Development Authority, includes the state of Maine.

         “We are pleased that the Department of Energy has awarded this funding to our state in support of efforts to address key energy challenges, reduce pollution, and lower costs,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “Maine has been a leader in the development of offshore wind technology, and this funding will help ensure that Maine will continue to be at the forefront of making this resource a fundamental component of U.S. energy innovation.”

          This funding was awarded as part of DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's State Energy Program, which allocates funding each year to provide financial assistance to U.S. states in order to advance strategies for local clean energy development that will reduce energy bills for American families and businesses, protect the environment by reducing carbon emissions, and increase our nation’s energy security.