CARRABASSETT VALLEY -- Maine's Land Use Regulation Commission has scheduled a three-day public hearing in August on a petition to rezone land in northern Franklin County for a commercial wind power facility.
CARRABASSETT VALLEY -- Maine's Land Use Regulation Commission has scheduled a three-day public hearing in August on a petition to rezone land in northern Franklin County for a commercial wind power facility.
The hearing on Maine Mountain Power LLC's application will be held Aug. 2, 3, and 4 at the Sugarloaf Grand Summit Conference Center in Carrabassett Valley.
"Normally, our hearings are one day. Having a three-day hearing is not a first for LURC, but it is the first one in a long time and it is still going to be tight," said the commission's spokesman Marcia Spencer-Famous. "It shows the importance of the whole issue because of the proximity to the Appalachian Trail."
According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Web site, it intends to submit formal testimony identifying the damage the project will have on plants and animals and how it would diminish the scenic quality and back- country experience of the region.
The project's …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]The hearing on Maine Mountain Power LLC's application will be held Aug. 2, 3, and 4 at the Sugarloaf Grand Summit Conference Center in Carrabassett Valley.
"Normally, our hearings are one day. Having a three-day hearing is not a first for LURC, but it is the first one in a long time and it is still going to be tight," said the commission's spokesman Marcia Spencer-Famous. "It shows the importance of the whole issue because of the proximity to the Appalachian Trail."
According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Web site, it intends to submit formal testimony identifying the damage the project will have on plants and animals and how it would diminish the scenic quality and back- country experience of the region.
The project's developer, Harley Lee has disputed that claim.
In April, Lee said his studies indicate the potential threat to bats and birds and the ecological impact are minimal from blades that rotate once every four seconds. Also, he said the visual effect of the towers on the ridge line will be minimized by running power lines underground and revegetating construction roads when the project is completed.
Lee said the $150 million project would remove 800,000 pounds of pollutants a day from existing power plants in New England, the equivalent of taking 26,000 cars off the road.
The proposal includes rezoning two tracts in Redington Township from a protected mountain zone to a planned development subdistrict. If the rezoning application is approved, a construction permit would next be required to erect 30 turbines on the ridge line along Redington Pond Range and Black Nubble Mountain. It would include utility lines, a substation, maintenance facility and access roads.
Public testimony will be heard from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2 and Thursday, Aug. 3 with comments limited to five minutes. Formal hearings involving the 16 intervenors, approved to provide testimony by the LURC board of commissioners and Maine Mountain Power, will be held during the day.
Intervenors coming in opposition are Maine Audubon, Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Maine Appalachian Trail Club and the National Park Service. Independent Energy Producers of Maine, Maine Interfaith Power & Light and the Coalition to Reduce Dependency on Foreign Oil are among those in support. The Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Conservation Law Foundation are taking neutral stands.
For information, call LURC at 287-4933. A copy of the petition to rezone is available on-line at www.maine.gov/doc/lurc/projects/redington/Click_to_Start.htm