Maine Wind Power Projects pick up steam

Maine Wind Power Projects Pick Up Steam

NRCM has been actively supporting and promoting three large-scale wind power projects making the news lately.  The Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) will hold public hearings for these projects in the next four months, beginning in August. These projects have the potential to position Maine as a leader in wind energy in New England: the 42 MW Mars Hill Wind Project already is the largest wind farm operating in the region. The approval and construction of these wind farms will help address the threat of global warming and achieve NRCM’s goal of having 5% of Maine’s electricity provided by wind energy by 2010!

Redington Project Scaled-back to Match NRCM Compromise
For the past year, NRCM has urged opponents and proponents of the Redington Wind Farm to join us in supporting a “Black Nubble-only” compromise, first proposed by NRCM last fall.  This scaled-back project would place wind turbines only on Black Nubble Mountain and would put more ecologically sensitive Redington Pond Range in permanent protection. A Black Nubble-only wind farm would produce 54 MW of clean energy, more than any other wind power installation currently operating in New England. Protecting Redington Mountain would be a very significant accomplishment, since it is the last 4,000-foot peak in Maine that has not yet been protected. The revised project protects sensitive wildlife habitat while increasing clean, renewable energy in Maine. This is a win-win solution for Maine’s citizens, and we urge everyone to support it. Public hearings are expected to be held in mid-September, so stay tuned and start spreading the word!

 

Kibby Mountain Project Receives Strong Support from Environmental Groups

NRCM worked diligently with Maine Audubon and the Appalachian Mountain Club to reach an agreement with wind developer TransCanada in support of the company’s proposal for a 130 MW project in Kibby Township in Franklin County. TransCanada has agreed to significant land conservation arrangements and studies should LURC approve the company’s application to construct and operate a 44-turbine power facility. The facility expected to generate about 357 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually—enough to power approximately 50,000 Maine homes. A public hearing on the Kibby project is tentatively scheduled for mid-October.

 

Stetson Wind Power Project in Washington County Moves Toward Hearings

LURC will hold a hearing in early August for the proposed 57 MW project on Stetson Ridge in Washington County. NRCM has visited the site, reviewed the permit application, and will be testifying in support of the project. We currently are involved in discussions with the developer and other interested parties about a public benefit fund that would help enhance the value of the project to local communities.

 

 

Come Visit Mars Hill Wind Project – The Largest Operating Wind Farm in New England

The turbines on Mars Hill are spinning today, generating both clean electricity and interest in wind power. Project managers at Mars Hill are keeping busy fielding requests for daily tours of the turbines. With multiple additional wind farm proposals moving forward, Mars Hill provides an excellent opportunity to learn firsthand what a large-scale wind project is like. Plus you can purchase clean energy certificates straight from Mars Hill. Learn how!

 

NRCM is currently planning trips for citizens from around the state to visit Mars Hill in the next six months. For more information about these trips please contact Sara Lovitz at: slovitz at nrcm.org.

 

Stay Informed and Share your Voice

Maine is taking big steps forward in achieving our clean energy goals. NRCM strongly supports appropriately sited wind power, and we hope you will be involved. Please check our website regularly for public hearing schedules and other updates on these wind projects!

 

 

Comments

I wonder why other areas suitable for this kind of renewable energy do not adopt the same technology. Time is wasting every day the world grows ever more dependent on fossil fuels and technologies that destroy the environment, act now.

[Guy]

This is very informative blog. The article is good for the reader and the comments as well. Thank you.

[Rich raymond]

Its about time !

[Dylan Voorhees, NRCM clean energy project director]

NRCM strongly supports land conservation in Maine’s North Woods, interior mountains, and areas with significant habitat values and remote resource haracteristics. The State of Maine is endowed with spectacular mountain resources and large tracts of forested habitat that warrant protection. NRCM also has a strong interest in the development of cleaner forms of electricity generation that will help reduce the environmental and public health harm caused by existing forms of power production. Given these two concerns, we have worked for over a year to identify and help design a compromise solution that makes sense for Maine.

In its comprehensive plan, the Land Use Regulatory Commission, LURC, is directed to “identify and protect high mountain resources with particularly high natural resource values or sensitivity which are not appropriate for most development.” As many groups made clear, Redington Pond Range meets the definition of a high mountain resource with “particularly high natural resource values.” NRCM agreed with that position, which is why we opposed the original application and worked to negotiate a Restriction Agreement for Redington Pond Range that would preclude wind power development on that mountain. By the same token, we believe that there is no compelling evidence that Black Nubble meets the test of being a high mountain resource with “particularly high natural resource values or sensitivity” that would warrant it being on a list for priority protection by LURC. You can read a more detailed analysis that leads to this conclusion in our testimony to LURC.

It might be useful to point out the implication of denying a permit to any wind project proposed near the Appalachian Trail. Black Nubble is about three miles from the trail at the closest point. If LURC were to make a de facto determination that this was too close, it would be the same as categorically ruling 1.5 million acres of Maine off limits for wind power, an area twice the size of Rhode Island. Given the need for Maine to increase its amount of clean, renewable power, this would be a huge step in the wrong direction, and not the kind of careful decision-making we expect from our government.

[Jim]

The bottom line is that the Black Nubble site is inappropriate for a wind farm. The facts overwhelmingly go against this project. In 2006 the developer himself did a good job stating why Black Nubble would not be economically feasible. This is now a case of Custer’s last stand for Harley Lee, his money and his pride. He chose this wilderness ridgeline site, arrogantly adjacent to the Appalachian Trail, many years ago, and at that time did not properly work with everyone to find a proper site for his wind farm.

[Sara L]

Re: Aug 23rd comment

Thank you for your comment about the need to support wind power in Maine, while recognizing that there are challenges to siting these projects. As with any new power generating source there will be some impacts from the project, but we believe the benefits of the clean power generated greatly outweigh these impacts. NRCM is a strong supporter of the Black Nubble Wind Project and is working to increase public support. This project will generate enough electricity to power approx 21,500 Maine homes, while also providing permanent protection from wind development on Redington Mountain. Thus, we believe it is a win-win situation for Maine. We encourage those who recognize the urgent need for clean power sources to share your voices with the Land Use Regulation Commission and your fellow citizens. You can find out more information about the Black Nubble Wind Project and our reasons for supporting it at: http://www.nrcm.org/black_nubble.asp

[Ric Leo]

At some point, NRCM, the MAC, and the AMC are going to have to realize that everyone is going to have to 'share the pain' in order to reverse the effects of global warming. I visit the Bigelow area frequently and love the area with all my heart but I know that even a little bit will help get the ball rolling, much as an avalance first starts with a few small flakes of snow. Is there something irreplacable about Black Nubble that cannot be found elsewhere along the AT? Which is more harmful to the peaks, the effect on the view or the acid rain falling from Midwestern coal-burners? There are lots of battles to fight to preserve as much of the Wilderness as we can, but this isn't one of them.

[Dylan Voorhees, NRCM Clean Energy Director]

NRCM believes that wind power can and must play a meaningful role in the urgent need to reduce global warming pollution from Maine and the region. About one third of our global warming pollution comes from power plants. And every kilowatt-hour of energy produced from wind power reduces generation at another power plant—in most cases, a fossil-fuel burning plant. We support a goal of obtaining 5% of our electricity from wind power by 2010 and 10% by 2020. Both will be significant amounts of clean power.

We also believe that many mountains and ridges are not suitable for wind power, precisely because these projects do have impacts and are incompatible with some ecological and remote, scenic resources. Both the Black Nubble and Kibby mountain projects have significant land mitigation components that will result in the permanent protection of hundreds of acres of high-value, high-elevation land. As a member of the Governor’s Wind Power Task Force, we will be working to help improve guidance for appropriate locations for wind.

Unfortunately there are many threats to the North Woods and wilderness of Maine. One of those is excessive development; which NRCM opposes actively. Another is pollution from fossil-power plants, leading to dangerous acid rain and mercury levels. Global warming itself threatens to devastate the North Woods of Maine, driving out rare species and the spruce-fir forest itself.

Energy efficiency and conservation efforts are at least as important as wind power in reducing our global warming pollution, although we unquestionably need both. That is why our energy project devotes considerable effort to increasing efficiency investments in the state. For example, for over a year we worked to shape and win passage for LD 1851 which authorized the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and more than doubles funding for efficiency programs in Maine. NRCM also developed the Maine Global Warming Challenge and encourages everyone in Maine to take it. www.globalwarmingmaine.org.

Efficiency, clean renewables like wind, cleaner cars, and alternative transportation - these are all components of a strategy for reducing the environmental impacts of our energy use. Individually, none will solve the problem. Single compact florescent light bulbs and hybrids make only a small difference, but together their impact is large. The same is true for wind power, though projects like Black Nubble, Kibby and Stetson will do the equivalent of more than 20 million light bulbs.

[Jim Hutzler]

Dear NRCM:

How many ridgelines do you want to sacrifice for electricity generation? I hope that everyone understands that these projects are not benign, and will do little or nothing to mitigate global warming. Why are you not loudly promoting CONSERVATION? Is it because you are in bed with Harley Lee, Republican hack Rep. Darrell Issa and his client Edison Mission Energy of California (a horrible coal power plant operator), partners in the Redington Black Nubble tragedy? Huge money is at stake here, and our wilderness is at risk of being decimated for the sake of greed. Please, folks, learn all the facts before all is lost!

[Sara]

Hi, this is Sara with NRCM, outreach coordinator for our clean energy project. First of all,

Thank you for your interest in wind power and your comments. NRCM is a strong supporter of appropriately-sited wind projects such as those discussed in this blog posting. A shift to cleaner energy sources like wind is necessary to address global warming and also to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources. We undoubtedly have a long way to go before we achieve the wind capacity of countries like Spain, who got 27% of their electricity from wind on March 20th, more than from nuclear or coal plants! Spain is the second largest producer of wind energy behind Germany.

Some folks have questioned whether Maine is generating this power just to send it elsewhere. It is true that Maine is exporting some of the electricity generated by wind to Canada or other states in New England (we are part of a regional grid). Either way, we may be displacing other more polluting sources of energy or keeping new fossil-fuel fired plants from being built. This is good for Maine and the rest of the world!

You can now offset the carbon emissions from your electricity use and car/air travel with a MAINE-MADE product by purchasing Maine Wind Watts from the Mars Hill Wind Farm. You can purchase them at: http://www.meipl.org/Pages/Products/Certificates_upc.html

Thanks for sharing your comments, and keep them coming!

[Dave Litchfield]

For the first article, you might have chosen your title words more carefully---"picks up Steam"??? These windmill farms are not the cure for the total energy problem, but if the electricity is dispursed as implied, it should make a dent in the oil imports--however, there has to be a lot of them, and they have to be hooked to the ground somewhere. Stop fighting every location!!

[Gary Mclaughlin]

Question ? will all the power being produced by these wind mills benefit the maine people or will it be sent out of state or to canada.