www.windaction.org

Wind act doesn't treat all Mainers equally
May 21, 2013 by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in Portland Press Herald

The Wind Energy Act doesn't treat every Maine citizen the same - some have more rights that others. ...Why are these communities treated differently? That's not possible to determine because the members of the wind task force that made a map designating the expedited permitting area kept no minutes of the meetings discussing the map.

Also filed under [ Legal]

Wind power's grip on Augusta weakening
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.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

LePage not happy with bipartisan energy bill
May 16, 2013 by Tux Turkel in Morning Sentinel

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.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

LePage wants wind energy goals out of Maine law
May 9, 2013 by Matthew Stone in Bangor Daily News

LePage's energy director, Patrick Woodcock, made recommendations Thursday to rewrite the state's 2008 Wind Energy Act, shifting focus from growing wind energy capacity to lowering electricity costs and making sure Maine sees an economic return on its wind energy investments.

Also filed under [ General]

Opponents of Bowers Mountain wind site complain about effect on views
May 1, 2013 by Nick Sambides Jr. in Bangor Daily News

A scenic impact expert testifying before the state's top environmental agency on Tuesday said First Wind's proposed wind project "comes as close as being unreasonably adverse" in its potential impact on Bowers Mountain as any he has seen.

Also filed under [ Impact on Landscape| Impact on Views]

Maine DEP holds first public hearing for Bowers Mountain wind project
April 30, 2013 by Nick Sambides Jr. in Bangor Daily News

Opponents and proponents have begun two days of public hearings before the state's top environmental agency arguing the merits and problems with an industrial wind site proposed for Bowers Mountain.

Also filed under [ General]

Battle lines drawn over proposed Maine wind farm
April 28, 2013 by Clarke Canfield in The Associated Press

The sides will square off when the Department of Environmental Protection holds two days of hearings this week on First Wind's application to build a 16-turbine, 48-megawatt wind farm, known as the Bowers Wind project, in a backcountry area straddling Washington and Penobscot counties. A year ago, regulators rejected First Wind's application.

Also filed under [ General]

Woodstock selectmen, Patriot Renewables talk changes to wind ordinance
April 25, 2013 by Alison Aloisio in The Bethel Citizen

Spruce Mountain Wind representatives last week talked with Woodstock officials about possibly altering the town's new wind ordinance to someday allow them to replace their existing turbines with ones that would be quieter overall. The ordinance restricts future wind projects by imposing a lower maximum decibel level for sound generated by the turbines and greater setback from property lines, along with other requirements.

Also filed under [ Zoning/Planning]

$4-million turbine fire at Kibby Mountain puts wind energy under new scrutiny by state, opponents
April 23, 2013 by Whit Richardson in Bangor Daily News

Turbine fires have been known to start forest fires, according to the Confederation of Fire Protection Associations in Europe, which in September 2012 released a document of best practices and guidelines of how to handle fires at wind farms. The European document warns that these type of forest fires can be difficult to extinguish.

Also filed under [ Safety| Structural Failure]

DEP promises lengthy hearing for Bowers Mountain wind project
April 21, 2013 by Nick Sambides Jr. in Bangor Daily News

The state's top environmental agency will set aside at least 16 hours for all participants to speak during a two-day public hearing on a 16-turbine industrial wind site proposed for Bowers Mountain, officials said Monday.

Also filed under [ General]

Frankfort residents vote against settling wind energy lawsuit
April 15, 2013 by Abigail Curtis in Bangor Daily News

The town will not settle a lawsuit filed by three Mount Waldo property owners that challenges Frankfort's recently adopted wind energy ordinance after residents voted against a consent order to resolve the suit late last month at the annual town meeting.

Also filed under [ General]

Sangerville residents vote to restrict wind development, keep woodlots
April 1, 2013 by Alex Barber in Bangor Daily News

Residents of this Piscataquis County town overwhelmingly passed an article that places a six-month moratorium on any commercial wind projects during Saturday's town meeting. The town also voted to place a six-month moratorium on any east-west corridor development.

Also filed under [ General]

Bill would push high-voltage power-line setback to 300 feet in Maine
March 28, 2013 by Scott Thistle in Sun Journal

Lawmakers on the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee heard testimony on a bill that would require lines transmitting 5,000 volts of power or more to be at least 300 feet from homes, schools, churches and licensed day care centers, among other places.

Also filed under [ Transmission]

Rural Mainers turn out in force to back bills that would change wind energy law
March 27, 2013 by Robert Long in Bangor Daily News

Testifying neither for nor against LD 616, Patrick Woodcock, director of the Governor's Energy Office, urged legislators not to shy away from trying to improve the 2008 Wind Energy Act. He reiterated LePage's intent to streamline energy permitting processes in Maine, but in a way that does not favor one industry over another, which he said the current law does.

Also filed under [ Impact on Landscape| Impact on People]

Maine DEP concerned by state board's overturning of department wind power project denial
March 21, 2013 by Samantha Warren in Maine DEP

"My predecessor picked wind as the energy favorite, and that came at a high price for Maine people and our state's natural resources and outdoor heritage," said Governor Paul R. LePage. "While the initial-and largely taxpayer funded-investment in wind-power projects may be attractive to some, one-of-a-kind views like the ones from Saponac Pond have great value, and are long-term drivers of Maine's tourism and natural resource-based economy.

Also filed under [ General]

Citizen board overturns DEP rejection of wind power project
March 21, 2013 by Christopher Cousins in Bangor Daily News

"Today's decision has the potential to control the future of wind development in Maine. Turbines have the potential to impact every landscape in which they're built. The impact of the turbine would be adverse, no question. But the question is this: Is the impact unreasonably adverse?"

Also filed under [ General]

State board to rule on Passadumkeag Mountain wind project appeal
March 20, 2013 by Nick Sambides Jr. in Bangor Daily News

The Board of Environmental Protection will hear appeals filed by Passadumkeag Windpark LLC and landowner Penobscot Forest LLC. They are appealing Maine Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Patricia Aho's rejection of the plan to build a 14-turbine site on the mountain.

Also filed under [ General]

Canaan voters limit wind projects, make final library building payment
March 17, 2013 by Kaitlin Schroeder in Morning Sentinel

Residents passed an ordinance that would regulate the residential use of wind energy. The town had a wind ordinance, but it applies only to large operations. The new ordinance was passed as a precautionary measure to regulate windmills on personal property.

Also filed under [ Zoning/Planning]

Wind project a heated issue at Clifton town meeting
March 15, 2013 by Alex Barber in Bangor Daily News

"Towns that get involved in industrial wind projects lose. Our town is losing. Nobody anticipated endless legal expenses and there's no end in sight. My advice to towns is to slam the door on these wind projects. It will save their people a lot of misery and the town a lot of money."

Also filed under [ General]

Bingham wind project to seek expedited wind permitting towards the end of March
March 14, 2013 by John Doe in Bangor Daily News

This is a massive wind project that consists of 63 turbines 500 feet tall, 15 miles of transmission lines which are 7 stories tall and will run thru Mayfield Township, Kingsbury Plantation, Moscow, Abbot, Parkman, and Bingham.

Also filed under [ General]