What's at stake in western Maine?

In just under nine months, the residents of several Somerset county communities might see our beloved landscape and soundscape changed drastically for the remainder of our lives. Likewise, all the people of Maine could lose the scenic value of some of the state's finest natural treasures, and few even know of the threat.

Under recently amended state laws, all could occur with little consideration to the wisdom or long term implications of such a move.

A quick civics lesson is necessary to understand how this scenario became possible. In July 2007, the Governor's Task Force on Wind Power Development convened. It crafted a bill, LD 2283, which passed through the Maine Legislature, unopposed, in just 15 days. On the morning of April 18, 2008, the scenic and natural character of Maine's mountains were so valued, they were largely protected from industrial development by statute. By sundown, with a stroke of the governor's pen, the mountains in more than two-thirds of the state had been effectively rezoned - specifically, for the development of industrial wind turbine facilities.

In just nine months, with little public awareness, the priorities for Maine's remarkable landscape had shifted from "quality of place" to exportable electricity production. Quietly, and with little scrutiny, LD 2283 had slipped into Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Land Use Regulation Commission standards like a virus into a computer.

Back in Somerset County, in Highland Plantation, five mountains and more than eight miles of ridgeline could soon shudder from the explosive excavation required to break, bend and level the terrain sufficiently to accommodate a large wind power development. The developer's permit application calls for more than 1.6 million cubic yards of cut from the mountains - enough to fill more than 100,000 16-yard trucks. It would be the largest such facility ever built in Maine.

It's understandable if you are not familiar with Highland; this is, after all, rural Maine. However, you might be familiar with what lies next door: The Bigelow Preserve, Flagstaff Lake and the Appalachian Trail - just a few of the significant state or national scenic resources in this neighborhood. In just a few months, if approved by LURC, the degradation of these scenic assets will begin. The silence that dominates this landscape will be lost to the noise of spinning turbines.

Forty-eight turbines, each more than 400 feet tall - twice the height of the tallest building in Maine - would be the new dominant feature of our landscape. Up to 35 new flashing red lights would litter our once dark night sky. For us, there would be no more views of the northern lights radiating from the mountaintops without the punctuation marks of industrial development.

More than 22 miles of new road would be constructed, including 15 miles of 32-foot-wide ridgeline road. The developer's permit application indicates that more than 500 acres of mountain forest will be clear-cut, including forested wetland. Some streams and wetlands would have to be filled for road and turbine placement.

No standards protecting citizens and property owners from the visual and auditory effects of these developments were passed concurrently with the new law. Subsequently, towns are racing for the door to opt out of the state's weak, industry-friendly regulations. Two Maine towns, Dixmont and Jackson, wisely passed ordinances that, while not prohibiting wind projects, put residents and property owners ahead of developmental expediency. Many more towns have passed, or are considering, moratoriums on wind power permitting until protective standards can be implemented.

In the LURC jurisdiction, no such opportunity exists. The residents and property owners are sitting ducks, with no legal means to pass ordinances to protect ourselves. We must live with the state's dismal standards. As the residents of Mars Hill, Freedom and Vinalhaven have learned, our state has no apparent interest in inconveniencing the wind industry with improved noise regulations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers wind turbines a threat to wildlife, stating: "As more facilities are built, the cumulative effects of this rapidly growing industry may initiate or contribute to the decline of some wildlife populations."

Yet, one of the Highland developers continues to quaintly, and publicly, brush off concerns for Maine's wildlife by citing the number of Internet photos of cows in front of windmills as proof of their harmlessness.

Wind industry proponents tout the economic stimulus provided by these developments while unbiased realists recognize their scarcity of permanent jobs and the absence of broad-based benefits. There will be a short flurry of activity during the construction phase - blasting and bulldozing mountaintops are labor intensive. Should permanent destruction of our state's assets be the center of a temporary jobs program, though?

It is unlikely that any of us could agree on an appropriate economic price tag for Maine's mountains. It is likely, however, that most could agree that the intact mountains are inextricably linked to Maine's appeal, economy and, most importantly, its identity. The degradation of Highland's mountains and the resulting insult to Maine's scenic resources should cause us to pause and ask ourselves: Is this the way to treat our state's natural resources?

We should want and seek clean, reliable and wise energy production and consumption. We should not rush into destructive activities in hopeful pursuit of energy without a thorough, comprehensive analysis of the potential fallout.

I invite all Mainers to take a close look at the Highland project and its harsh impact on resources such as the Bigelow Preserve and the Appalachian Trail. Understand that Mainers, living in the shadows of these mountains, stand to see their lives permanently disrupted by an imposing and unwelcome guest. Respond. Realize that despite its size, this project represents just under five percent of Maine's statutory goal for land-based wind power.

How much mountaintop ruination can Maine stand? How many Mainers will be thrown under the bus? This figure reveals that the damage has just begun. Your neighbors need your help. To learn more about this project, visit www.highlandmts.org.

Alan Michka is chairman of Friends of The Highlands. He lives in Lexington Township.