Kurt Adams, chief counsel for expedited wind law pusher Gov John Baldacci becomes Baldacci's chair of the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC). During his term there, the MPUC, overruling its own staff approves the Maine Power Reliability Project (aka the CMP upgrade) which mandates that ratepayers fund the $1.4 Billion transmission expansion in Maine. Baldacci administration proponents cite the reason to be a need for reliability due to "aging lines", completely downplaying the sole reason -- providing Adams' and Baldacci's friends in the wind industry with a free shipping system for their product - electrons, and the subsidies and renewable energy credits that go with them. They even alluded to population growth as a reason for more transmission, yet Maine's population was overall stagnant and predicted to be stagnant for 20 years to come, with all the while, appliances becoming more electricity-efficient. And then, after taking over $1 million in stock options from First Wind, Adams jumps from his PUC Chairman post to become Director of Transmission for First Wind.
Most of this is at the links below. This terribly important story was never carried in the Portland Press Herald or Maine Sunday Telegram, so most Mainers are still in the dark about this.
Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting - Select Articles in Chronological Order
First Wind - The Kurt Adams Story
by Long Islander
Aug 9, 2012
Kurt Adams, chief counsel for expedited wind law pusher Gov John Baldacci becomes Baldacci's chair of the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC). During his term there, the MPUC, overruling its own staff approves the Maine Power Reliability Project (aka the CMP upgrade) which mandates that ratepayers fund the $1.4 Billion transmission expansion in Maine. Baldacci administration proponents cite the reason to be a need for reliability due to "aging lines", completely downplaying the sole reason -- providing Adams' and Baldacci's friends in the wind industry with a free shipping system for their product - electrons, and the subsidies and renewable energy credits that go with them. They even alluded to population growth as a reason for more transmission, yet Maine's population was overall stagnant and predicted to be stagnant for 20 years to come, with all the while, appliances becoming more electricity-efficient. And then, after taking over $1 million in stock options from First Wind, Adams jumps from his PUC Chairman post to become Director of Transmission for First Wind.
Most of this is at the links below. This terribly important story was never carried in the Portland Press Herald or Maine Sunday Telegram, so most Mainers are still in the dark about this.
Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting - Select Articles in Chronological Order
PUC chairman took equity stake in wind company
By: NAOMI SCHALIT, ©MAINE CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEREST REPORTING | May 6, 2010
Group asks AG to probe official of First Wind
By: NAOMI SCHALIT | July 18, 2010
First Wind SEC filing change questioned
By: NAOMI SCHALIT | July 18, 2010
Adams investigation finds no conflict
By: NAOMI SCHALIT | July 18, 2010