Don’t mar Maine’s beauty for Massachusetts

In 1819, Maine separated from Massachusetts and became its own entity. We have gotten along just fine for the past 200 years. But Massachusetts wants to use us as its industrial power center by running power lines and putting up industrial wind turbines in our mountains.

Massachusetts has put up barriers to future pipelines to ensure an adequate supply of natural gas from the gas fields in the mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Real clean power comes from natural gas and hydroelectricity as it is stable, dispatchable, reliable and continuous, not feckless like wind.

We have the transmission infrastructure in place to provide clean energy for our state, and with the attitude Massachusetts is showing us, we should be diligent in protecting what is ours. Maine already has a renewable portfolio that is among the cleanest in the country with hydroelectricity and biomass. We have no oil or coal electric plants in Maine.

We must speak out to our legislators and Gov. Paul LePage to keep what the state of Maine is known for: wilderness and beauty. Our $6 billion tourism industry relies on people from away coming to see our beauty, not our wind turbines and power lines in our forests or on our waters.

If Massachusetts wants clean energy, let them put it in their backyard.