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Invites Secretary Moniz to visit ocean energy projects in Maine

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree congratulated Ernest Moniz after his confirmation as Secretary of Energy today, and invited him to come to Maine to see development in offshore wind and tidal power.

In a letter to Secretary Moniz, Pingree wrote:

Maine has a unique landscape that lends itself perfectly for testing deepwater offshore wind due to its deepwater sites, at very short distances from the coasts, as well as the top-notch scientists working at its labs. The University of Maine is working on one of the many exciting projects in the state, and I would welcome the opportunity to show you firsthand how these scientists and entrepreneurs are working hand in hand to create the next generation of renewable energy development and work towards a strong and stable green economy.

Pingree went on to invite Moniz to see the work being done at the University of Maine as well as work being done on ocean tidal energy off the coast of Maine.

Full text of the letter is below:

Dear Secretary Moniz:

Congratulations on your recent confirmation. This is an exciting time at the Department of Energy, and I am confident you will continue much of the good work already underway. I share your enthusiasm for creating a new green economy that will be both diverse and sustainable, and I look forward to working with you.

I had the opportunity to work with your predecessor, former Secretary of Energy Chu on the exciting renewable energy developments happening in Maine. As we move toward meeting aggressive renewable electricity objectives over the next several years, I am confident that Maine's deep-water offshore wind resource will play an integral role. Additionally, recent Department of Energy investments in tidal power further demonstrate Maine's ability to develop innovative power alternatives.

As you may know, Maine has a unique landscape that lends itself perfectly for testing deepwater offshore wind due to its deepwater sites, at very short distances from the coasts, as well as the top-notch scientists working at its labs. The University of Maine is working on one of the many exciting projects in the state, and I would welcome the opportunity to show you firsthand how these scientists and entrepreneurs are working hand in hand to create the next generation of renewable energy development and work towards a strong and stable green economy.

I would like to invite you to visit Maine, both to see for yourself the state of the art research being done at the University of Maine, and also to meetwith a sampling of the hundreds of businesses that are developing these newtechnologies. Thank you for considering this request, and I look forward toseeing you in Maine soon.

Sincerely,

Chellie Pingree

Member of Congress