Author: Reagan Paul

Today, the word “nuclear” often sparks fear, with talk of nuclear weapons dominating headlines. This fear is understandable but misplaced when it comes to nuclear energy—an entirely different application with enormous potential to benefit Maine. Unfortunately, misinformation has become a major barrier to this clean, reliable, and innovative energy source. Maine is missing out on the nuclear renaissance happening across the country. Advanced nuclear technologies, such as small modular reactors (SMRs), are proving to be a game-changer. They produce no greenhouse gas emissions, require minimal land use, and deliver consistent baseline energy, unlike the intermittent output of wind and solar.…

Conflict of Interest: “a situation in which a person is in a position to derive personal benefit from actions or decisions made in their official capacity.” OR “when an entity or individual becomes unreliable because of a clash between personal (or self-serving) interests and professional duties or responsibilities.” See also The University of Maine The federal government this week blocked a proposal that would have allowed the Mills Administration and labor unions to bulldoze Sears Island into an industrial wind power port. Although this hard-fought victory is good news for fishermen, ratepayers, taxpayers, and the environment, it’s only temporary. The…

Last year, LD 1895 “An Act Regarding the Procurement of Energy from Offshore Wind Resources” passed, which got the ball rolling on Maine’s push for offshore wind port. The port will be the culmination of a more than decade-long taxpayer-funded effort to develop a floating offshore wind research array project, with the goal of eventually turning the Gulf of Maine into an industrialized wind farm. The viability of this technology was to be tested through an array of 12 wind turbines using the patented VolturnUS concrete, semi-submersible floating offshore wind turbine platform design created by Dr. Habib Dagher of the…

The following is an op-ed from Representative Reagan Paul: If you had a dollar for every time it was said that offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine will combat climate change and bolster the local workforce, you’d almost be as wealthy as the pseudo-environmental special interest and labor groups pushing this narrative. Can offshore wind advocates boast about the billions of dollars of subsidies required to attempt to make them competitive, skyrocketing electric bills, decreased grid reliability, and rampant environmental and community destruction that inevitably follows in the wake of offshore wind development? Of course not. The only…

Sears Island has long been known as a place of tranquility and home to abundant wildlife, migratory birds, botanical resources, and historical sites. It boasts a wealth of Wabanaki history as well as historical sites dating back to the Revolutionary War. It is also the largest undeveloped, uninhabited, causeway-accessible island on the eastern coast of the United States. This local treasure is important to the local community and is a significant tourist attraction in the area, welcoming thousands of visitors from around the globe every year. Currently, there is a more sinister reason why Sears Island is gaining attention in…