AP: Records show LePage pondered blocking Statoil outright
Top officials in Gov. Paul LePage’s administration hoped to stop the offshore wind project proposed by the Norwegian company Statoil outright, before the governor came out in public support of a plan that would allow the University of Maine to enter the bidding process, according to an investigation by The Associated Press.
The governor began pushing to reopen bidding for classification as an offshore wind pilot project in June, but email exchanges between top administration officials in May showed interest in voiding Statoil’s agreement with the Public Utilities Commission. The initially proposed plan would have limited the amount home and business owners would pay for the project to about half of what the company proposed to state regulators.
Patrick Woodcock, LePage’s top energy advisor, told The AP the initial plan would have also allowed for the university to submit a bid while also allowing the Norwegian company revise its plan.
Critics of the legislation that reopened bidding for offshore wind pilot projects say the efforts to complicate Statoil’s plan send a bad message to the international business community. Supporters of the legislation say it stands to put the university on equal footing with the Norwegian company to compete for a $50 million federal energy grant next year.
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