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"On Vinalhaven, on Nantucket, in the Pacific Northwest - all across the country as green energy gains traction - reactions to wind projects are elucidating larger American values. If Vinalhaven is any example, American individualism may struggle to find a place in the new green economy."
Also filed under [
Impact on People]
Wind power's grip on Augusta weakening
May 21, 2013 by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting
May 21, 2013 by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting
Armed with the signatures of the majority of residents in their townships and plantations, they went to ask lawmakers to pass a bill to give them back the right to influence how the land in their communities was used.
That right, they said, had been taken away.
LePage also is displeased that the bill ignores a study by Woodcock's office meant to reconsider the state's ambitious wind energy goals and shift the priority to lowering electricity rates.
Wind power policy is too big an issue to tackle in the bill, said John Cleveland, D-Auburn, Senate chair of the committee.
The underlying issue in New England is that gas pipeline capacity is inadequate to keep prices steady in times of high home heating demand, said Vamsi Chadalavada, executive vice president and chief operating officer of ISO New England. ISO is leading a study focused mainly on reliability, but reliability is intertwined with price, he said.
As natural gas brings down electricity and heating costs, Maine can't get enough
February 3, 2013 by Kathryn Skelton in Sun Journal
February 3, 2013 by Kathryn Skelton in Sun Journal
The nonprofit that runs the New England power grid is exploring incentives to encourage gas-fired power plants to commit to long-term contracts, which could in turn finance more pipelines. The Governor's Energy Office is looking at ways to facilitate capital investment. The Maine House minority leader has a "bold proposal" - but he's not sharing it just yet.
The LePage administration wants Hydro-Quebec to sell power here, possibly at the expense of wind and biomass generators.
More than 30 years ago, Gordon Weil and then-Gov. Joseph Brennan traveled to Montreal to meet with Quebec Premier Rene Levesque. They met at the headquarters of the provincial power company, Hydro-Quebec.
Maine has a chance to trim $170 million a year from electricity bills, cut its reliance on oil and take advantage of historically low power costs, but lawmakers first must authorize state government to help bring natural gas here from new gas fields in the Northeast.
Gov. Paul LePage blamed wind and solar power for rising energy prices in Maine
October 6, 2012 in Sun Journal
October 6, 2012 in Sun Journal
"Homeowners will pay $85 more per year on their electricity bill and business will pay more than $600 annually," says LePage - citing a study by the Maine Heritage Policy Center and Beacon Hill Institute. "Industrial users will suffer the most taking on more than $14,000 per year because of the mandate."
Also filed under [
Impact on Economy]
Despite risk of Maine challenge, wind power deal gets made
June 27, 2012 by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in Maine Center for Public Interest
June 27, 2012 by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in Maine Center for Public Interest
The Public Advocate and other appellants argued that the proposal would violate the state's landmark electricity restructuring act, which barred transmission companies like Bangor Hydro from owning electricity generation. That law prohibits utilities from owning both transmission and generation because it was believed to be anti-competitive and to contribute to high electricity prices.
Education, energy top discussions for LePage at Newport town hall meeting
April 27, 2012 by Alex Barber in Bangor Daily News
April 27, 2012 by Alex Barber in Bangor Daily News
"Mainers are paying $326 million per year above the average American for our energy," said LePage.
He targeted wind power as a major contributor for that high number.
"It's a big number. Why? Because we have some groups in Maine that are greedy. ..."Wind is costing us dearly. It's costing us jobs, it's costing us investment and it's costing us big."
Governor's energy bill turning into a political football as session winds down
April 5, 2012 by Eric Russell in Bangor Daily News
April 5, 2012 by Eric Russell in Bangor Daily News
After LePage returned from a vacation, he blasted lawmakers for rewriting his bill and blamed special interest groups for the changes."I do not support Augusta being in the business of increasing costs on Maine ratepayers to pad the pockets of special interest groups," he said in a statement last Friday. "I believe it is morally and ethically wrong to take more money from those who can least afford it to line the pockets of those that are politically connected here in Augusta."
The Governor wants to change a twelve-year old law that regulates the purchase of renewable electricity in Maine. That law says that to qualify under Maine's Renewable Energy Portfolio standards, the power must come from sources smaller than 100 megawatts.
The Governor wants to lift that hundred megawatt cap.
Spanish consumers were allowed to run up that debt because previous administrations agreed that utilities should book more revenue than they were permitted to collect. The gap accelerated during the last five years, swollen by subsidies added to power bills to support renewable power plants, energy efficiency projects and domestic coal mines.
Also filed under [
Tax Breaks & Subsidies|
Europe]
The group attempting to advance a citizen initiative that would increase energy efficiency and a requirement that electricity providers derive a certain amount of power from renewable sources announced Monday that it's waiting until 2013 to bring the issue to voters.
First Wind: PUC position would harm state's economy
January 24, 2012 by Nick Sambides Jr. in Bangor Daily News
January 24, 2012 by Nick Sambides Jr. in Bangor Daily News
The PUC staff recommendation announced Friday opposes the joint venture because of fears that it would lead to higher electricity rates for ratepayers and give a utility control over a power generator, which the state's Electric Restructuring Act expressly prohibits.
New rules could boost region's renewable power
January 23, 2012 by Jay Lindsay in The Associated Press
January 23, 2012 by Jay Lindsay in The Associated Press
A federal order issued last fall is intended to make it easier to construct transmission lines, costly and controversial projects that are notoriously tough to build.
A proposal by First Wind and Canadian utility Emera to partner with a third energy company to build and operate energy projects in the Northeast is in danger of being rejected by Maine regulators.
Conservation group announces opposition to electricity mandate referendum
January 12, 2012 in Friend's of Maine's Mountains
January 12, 2012 in Friend's of Maine's Mountains
"This referendum is driven by an unfortunate public belief that wind power can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, displace base load generators, and reduce our already high electricity costs, when in fact it can do none of these. The future of Maine's environment and economy deserves better than mandated policies which are based on a belief in presumed benefits."
Proposal would raise state's renewable electricity goal to 25% by 2025
January 12, 2012 by Paul Egan in Detroit Free Press
January 12, 2012 by Paul Egan in Detroit Free Press
Proposed ballot language filed Wednesday for the Nov. 6 election would require the state's utilities to reach 25%, well beyond the current law passed in 2008, which requires 10% of Michigan's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2015.
LePage pledges to tackle energy costs to improve business climate
January 10, 2012 by Eric Russell in Bangor Daily News
January 10, 2012 by Eric Russell in Bangor Daily News
Gov. Paul LePage said Monday that he wants other energy sources such as natural gas and hydroelectric to enjoy the same expedited permitting process that the wind power industry has seen. ...When asked about wind, LePage said he doesn't have a problem with wind power but, "without a subsidy, wind doesn't work."