BANGOR (AP) – The Maine Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday approved the construction of Maine’s first wind farm. But ground won’t be broken on the Mars Hill project until the U.S. Congress approves a tax credit bill that will free up $68 million of funding.

The U.S. Senate approved the credit in early May, with Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins lending their support. U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud has also voiced support for the project but has not said how he will vote when the trade bill that contains the tax credit comes before the House.

Peter Gish of UPC Wind Partners LLC, the parent company of developer Evergreen Wind Power LLC was not available for comment Tuesday. Gish said last month that if financing isn’t resolved soon, construction may have to be delayed.

Evergreen had planned to start construction on the 30-turbine project this spring and begin producing electricity at Mars Hill by November.

When the project does go online, its planned output of 50 megawatts of electricity will bring the state a quarter of the way toward the National Resources Council of Maine’s goal of meeting ten percent of Maine’s power needs with wind projects by 2010.

“We hope that this will open the door to other projects in Aroostook and Washington counties to bring significant economic development to rural areas while still developing clean, renewable energy,” said the council’s Pete Didisheim.

Worries about the windmills’ impact on birds and bats in the area had also held up the permit’s approval. Maine Audubon and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife raised concerns that Evergreen had not sufficiently studied the issue, but the DEP decided to approve the permit with conditions.

“Although there is no evidence to suggest that the project will interfere with bird migration, DEP is requiring post-construction monitoring to ensure minimum environmental impact,” the DEP said Tuesday.