October 23, 2023 — As Maine moves forward with future goals of offshore wind energy development, multiple stakeholders are praising the decision by a federal agency to exclude the majority of Gulf of Maine fishing grounds, known as Lobster Management Area 1, from its development proposal.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released the draft on Thursday and the plan is now open for public review and comment. The draft of the Wind Energy Area covers more than 3.5 million acres off the shore of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, according to an agency release. The areas included range from 23 to 120 miles off the coast.