Oil dealers say it would kill their industry and cost thousands of jobs. They and other critics also say the electricity from offshore wind would be very expensive, and note that customers would have to pay higher electricity bills to make it possible. ...the cost of offshore wind power and how to pay for it got a bit more real when Chuck Digate stepped up to testify. Digate is managing general partner of Neptune Wind LLC, a Massachusetts company that is interested in developing an ocean wind farm in Maine. It will cost an estimated $1.5 billion to build a 250-megawatt ocean wind project, he said. Its power would cost 22 cents a kilowatt hour, and with no state support to help financing debt, he said, it would add $8 a month to the average household's electricity bill.

The best use of Maine's North Woods and preservation of the state's forestry industry emerged as major themes Thursday among 10 gubernatorial candidates who participated in a question-and-answer forum hosted by the Maine Forest Products Council. With candidates participating from across the political spectrum, it came as little surprise to many in the audience that their strategies as the state's chief executive would vary considerably.

Today lawmakers and wind power advocates and opponents spoke out at a hearing on an ambitious piece of offshore wind legislation proposed by Gov. John Baldacci. The emergency measure includes a goal of installing enough offshore wind turbines to power nearly 100,000 homes by 2020.

In the discussion of the proposed underground energy corridor between New Brunswick and Maine, there are two major misunderstandings. Some Mainers believe that Canadian power is so cheap that we should do almost anything to get it. Some Canadian suppliers believe there is an unquenchable thirst in New England for power from Canada, especially green power.

Maine's supreme court has upheld a state law that aims to speed up the permitting process for wind farms in Maine. In a unanimous decision today, the Supreme Judicial Court rejected arguments from the Friends of Lincoln Lakes nonprofit group.

Two small towns have proposed six-month moratoriums on any wind power projects, but voters will decide on Saturday if they need to take that step. A 180-day wind turbine moratorium could provide New Vineyard and Avon residents a chance to learn more about wind power and establish policies or ordinances for the development of commercial wind projects.

The state's highest court on Thursday dealt the Friends of Lincoln Lakes a major legal defeat by reaffirming state approval of a $130 million industrial wind site intended for northern Penobscot County. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court's unanimous ruling also upheld the constitutionality of a state law fast-tracking the permit process for Maine wind sites.

For centuries, New England fishermen have used boats small and large to reap the natural bounties found below the surface of the Gulf of Maine. But fishermen soon may be forced to share those waters with even larger structures built to capture the gulf's other abundant resource: the wind.

Voters at the annual town meeting have approved two moratoriums that will give the town time to develop ordinances to regulate communications towers and wind turbines. There has been commercial interest in such construction, particularly in communications towers, according to Code Enforcement Officer Judy Jenkins, and the town’s existing land use regulations include nothing to guide the siting of such structures.

The Carper-Snowe-Brown-Collins Offshore Wind Bill provides the offshore wind industry with enhanced stability by extending production and investment tax credits for offshore wind until 2020. The senators say these provisions are vital because of the long lead times required to permit and construct wind turbines offshore, compared to onshore wind energy. Offshore wind includes any wind turbine located in the inland navigable waters of the United States, including coastal waters and the Great Lakes.

On Sunday, a full-page advertisement in the state's largest daily newspaper asked, "Why on Earth would Augusta send good Maine jobs to Canada?" The ad, paid for by Maine Jobs First LLC came in advance of Tuesday's public hearing for LD 1786, "An Act Regarding Energy Infrastructure Development." The Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy is sorting through a three-way report from an energy corridor commission convened in 2009.

Not happy with how a Lincoln board and state court have stymied its efforts to challenge a proposed $130 million wind farm in the Lincoln area, the Friends of Lincoln Lakes is taking its case to the state's highest court, the group's attorney said Monday.

Some folks on Vinalhaven were led down the golden/green path, proud to be part of the new energy movement, until they couldn't get away from the noise of the three wind turbines sounding like a jet landing until the wind stops (Sun Journal, Jan. 24). On that 25-square-mile island, the 388-foot-high turbines were put online in November and one is down for repairs already.

The state ethics commission says that Rep. Jon Hinck, D-Portland, does not have a conflict of interest in voting on legislation regarding wind power. Hinck's wife, Juliet Browne, is a lawyer who represents several wind power developers. Hinck is co-chairman of the Utilities and Energy Committee, and says he has made an extra effort to familiarize himself with energy issues because they are important for the state.

Maine shouldn't expect lower-cost, Canadian hydroelectricity to flow through the state via new transmission lines in the near future, a top Hydro-Quebec executive said here Thursday. One of the world's largest producers of hydro power, Hydro-Quebec plans to concentrate first on expanding its exports to New England with a line through New Hampshire, according to Christian Brosseau, president of subsidiary HQ Energy Services US.

About 50 residents turned out Tuesday night at the town office to hear about the permitting review process that First Wind expects to go through to get approval to erect wind turbines here and in neighboring Township 16. How many turbines would be erected and exactly where they will be has not been determined.

Some people living near existing wind farms say the cost is too high in addition to noise complaints, some think wind farms have an irreversible visual impact. Marilyn Roper and her husband Harry own a camp in Danforth. "It had a beautiful pristine scenery and two lakes," says Roper. The Ropers are avid star gazers and they say the Stetson 1 and 2 projects have ruined their view.

An occasional critic of state and federal energy policies, Van Scotter said he doesn't see that help coming anytime soon. He believes that while government pursuit of alternative energy sources is basically worthwhile, wind power is still far too erratic to provide much immediate relief to state industry.

Since the Fox Island Wind Project started running last November, all eyes have been on Vinalhaven. The $15-million dollar project was built to provide power for Vinalhaven and North Haven. While it's been widely thought of as a success, there have been some issues, mostly concerns about noise. "My quality of life before the wind turbines was fantastic…it was very quiet, a remarkable quality of life, a rare opportunity," says Vinalhaven resident Ethan Hall.

A co-chairman of the legislative committee that deals with energy issues is asking the state ethics panel whether his participation in upcoming votes, and his wife's representation of wind power companies, present a conflict of interest. Rep. Jon Hinck, D-Portland, is asking for an advisory opinion from the Commission on Government Ethics and Election Practices. The panel is scheduled to review the request at 9 a.m. Thursday in Augusta.