The Interior Department moved ahead April 30 proposing the first offshore wind energy auctions in the Gulf of Maine and off Oregon, moving the Biden administration’s renewable energy drive into the realm of deeper waters and floating wind turbines.

The Gulf of Maine proposed sale would include eight lease areas off Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, covering nearly 1 million acres with potential for turbine arrays with a maximum rated output of 15 gigawatts, according to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

(The actual average generation from wind turbines being built in the northwest Atlantic off the U.S. East Coast has been estimated at around 42% to 45% of maximum potential, often referred to as nameplate rating, according to industry sources and the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laroratory.)

BOEM narrowed the lease offering areas from its last wind energy area mapping in the gulf, a process the agency says “prioritized avoidance of offshore fishing grounds and identification of vessel transit routes, while retaining sufficient acreage to support the region’s offshore wind energy goals” of 13 GW to 18 GW.

The Oregon lease offerings are two areas: the Brookings Wind Energy Area of 133,792 acres, about 18 miles from shore, and the Coos Bay Wind Energy Area of 61,203 acres 32 miles offshore. Together the two areas could have potential for up to 3.1 GW of power output rating.

The move to lease areas for floating wind turbines is another level from BOEM leasing on the shallow East Coast outer continental shelf for turbines on foundations in the sea floor. The technology will have its own new issues with anchoring, cables and environmental impact.

Oregon tribes and commercial fishing groups pressed Gov. Tina Kotek trying to block BOEM leasing, and New England fishing advocates have been skeptical of the Gulf of Maine planning process.

BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein said the agency is continuing to work with interest groups: “As we move forward with offshore wind energy in Oregon and the Gulf of Maine, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management remains dedicated to close collaboration with our government partners and key stakeholders.”

BOEM worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to use NOAA ocean resource information when analyzing wind energy areas. BOEM says the process “prioritized avoidance of offshore fishing grounds and identification of vessel transit routes, while retaining sufficient acreage to support the region’s offshore wind energy goals.”

 In the Gulf of Maine, BOEM proposes simultaneous auctions for each of the eight lease areas using multiple-factor bidding. In the public comment period before the sales, is proposing bidding credits to wind companies that commit to supporting workforce training programs or supply chain development, or a combination of both, as well as a credit for a fisheries compensatory mitigation fund.

Other potential lease stipulations could focus on vessel transit and baseline environmental monitoring.

In Oregon, BOEM likewise proposes lease stipulations “to create good-paying union jobs and continue robust engagement with Tribal governments, the fishing industry, affected communities, and other ocean users. Potential stipulations for the proposed Oregon sale include providing bidding credits to bidders that commit to supporting workforce training programs for the floating offshore wind energy industry, developing a domestic supply chain for the floating offshore wind industry, or a combination of both.”

Wind companies could gain bidding credits with community benefit agreements with “Tribes, local communities, ocean users, or stakeholder groups expected to be affected by potential impacts from activities resulting from lease development,” according to BOEM.

Here I am! Where are you? Way up here! In the tree! So goes the song of the Red-eyed Vireo, heard in nearly every forested area between Kittery and Fort Kent from May until early autumn. True neotropical migrants, Red-eyed Vireos spend the nonbreeding season in the Amazon Basin, especially in Colombia, Brasil, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru. Most depart South America during April, and over the course of a few weeks or a month, make their way up through Central America and the southeastern US, migrating on clear nights and refueling during the day by feasting on the abundance of newly-emerged insects. The first males can reach Maine by the first week of May, but the majority arrive in the second and third weeks, just in time for the emergence of leaves and insects in the canopy of our forests.

These canopy-dwellers are heard far more often than they are seen, and possess a huge vocal repertoire, combining various “syllables” into “phrases” that don’t repeat. In fact, there is often no similarity between the songs of males whose territories are right next to each other. While the males generally sing from treetops, Red-eyed Vireos forage and nest in the mid- and understory, and require forest habitat with layers of native shrubs and small trees. Their nests are usually built at these lower levels, with layers of foliage above to hide the nest from predators. They raise their young on insects, especially caterpillars and other larvae, before eating increasing amounts of fruit later in the summer, which they subsist on throughout the nonbreeding season. The return of Red-eyed Vireos to their breeding territories in Maine is a yearly reminder that conserving healthy forest ecosystems is important not only here at home, but also in the neotropical forests where they spend the rest of their lives.

Backyard Bird of the Month is a feature by Maine Audubon created for the Maine Home Garden News, the newsletter of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard

Photo: Jeff Schmoyer, used with permission

(WMTW) – Maine American Idol contestant Julia Gagnon is now in the top seven on on the show after Monday night’s episode.

During the show, fans voted for the top six performers, and then the judges saved one more singer. Julia was the first person announced as being safe.

After advancing, Julia wrote on Facebook “No words. None. To be in americas vote… it’s beyond my wildest dreams, I owe every vote a hug and a kiss, I truly appreciate all of yall, Maine in particular… let’s do this I’m so proud to be repping you, I have a new wind to keep making you proud. Go blow up @americanidol with pine trees and a share of our New England kindness and of course pride!!! Thank yall”

Monday was the Judges’ Song Contest as the judges each picked a song to be performed. Julia wowed the judges with her rendition of the classic “Over the Rainbow.” Judge Luke Bryan, who chose the song for Julia, said after her performance there is no song too big for her.

As the competition moves forward, there are three ways to vote for Julia during the episodes. You can text 4 to 21523, go to Americanidol.com/vote or vote on the American Idol app. You can vote up to 10 times on each platform for a total of 30 votes for Julia.

Maine has rallied to support Julia. A watch party in South Berwick Sunday night was filled with dozens of supporters who came to cheer Julia on as she advanced to the top eight, including one of her former schoolteachers.

”In fifth grade, Julia was kind of quiet,” Shannon Gallagher, Julia’s former teacher, said. “She was an amazing writer. She was very kind, and she was a student who challenged me in all the best ways.”

From family members to people who are just fans of Julia, the crowd at the party erupted when it was announced that she would be moving on to the next round of competition.

“We grew up together,” said Chase Gagnon, Julia’s cousin. “It was always great, and we always knew she could sing, so it’s great to see her kind of soar out here on American Idol.”

Julia will now compete for a spot in the top five Sunday night.

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