AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Some members of the environmental advocacy movement are skeptical about a proposal that would establish a Maine Space Corporation.

A committee of the Maine Legislature passed the proposal in February. It is designed to create a public-private partnership to help grow a space and aerospace industry in the state.

Opponents of the proposal think the idea of a rocket launch site in Maine is a bad one, Maine Public reported. Former independent U.S. Senate candidate Lisa Savage said she feared the proposal could lead to bird strikes and environmental degradation.

During a public hearing on the proposal, Bruce Gagnon of Bath also opposed the proposal. He said there is an “unrestrained gold rush into space” and Maine is “being drawn into this game without much public discussion or reflection.”

The space corporation proposal would need the approval of the full Legislature.

The bill’s sponsor Sen. Mattie Daughtry of Brunswick said the space corporation is “a wonderful opportunity to make Maine’s space market competitive and to add new, high-paying jobs.”