Rick Karlin is reporting for the Times Union the proposal to expand the Port of Albany into the town of Bethlehem took a step forward last week when the town planning board accepted the State Environmental Quality Review for the project. The 80-acre expansion project must now submit a site plan with names of specific tenants. “This is a big step,” Bethlehem Planning Director Robert Leslie said of the board's action. One of the next steps will focus on where a proposed building would be built. Port officials believe the expansion could play a role in the state’s push to develop wind energy, especially off the coast of Long Island. The facility could possibly store or help prepare parts that go into offshore wind turbines, which could then be easily shipped in and out of the region via the port. Megan Daly, the port’s director of economic development and procurement, said they are currently looking for tenants. The expansion would increase the port overall by 25 percent. Read the full story in the Times Union.