Long Islander's Blog – November 2017 Archive (19)

BDN - Maine PUC mysteriously reopening closed investigation into entities owning transmission AND generation

The project is part of a $12 million plan in Maine and Canada to explore the potential of ultralocal, renewable energy supplies. Just why the regulators are revisiting what had been a closed case is, for the moment, a mystery............Maine’s investor-owned transmission utilities aren’t generally allowed to own electricity generation assets. But the law exempts projects that would allow utilities to own generation needed to run their operations efficiently. Emera argued to the…

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Added by Long Islander on November 30, 2017 at 8:25am — 3 Comments

Vermont wind application withdrawn due to tax and regulatory risks

"Uncertainty around the federal tax policies that drive the economics of independent power projects like Swanton Wind have significantly impacted project financing," Charyk said in the statement.................In an interview, Charyk said the "hostile environment" in Vermont included Gov. Phil Scott's opposition to large wind projects, his appointment of a wind critic to lead the Public Utility Commission, and the commission's recent rule that will limit sound at future wind…

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Added by Long Islander on November 29, 2017 at 10:04am — No Comments

BDN - Drinking the Kool-Aid and Driving in Brunswick

Partnering with Revision Energy and Tesla Motors, the charging stations are powered with 100 percent renewable energy........Redevelopment officials for the former base which closed in 2011, have made renewable energy and “green” technology a priority..........…

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Added by Long Islander on November 29, 2017 at 9:56am — 1 Comment

Fishermen's Association stands with local community opposition of the Maine Aqua Ventus wind project

The resolution expresses the sentiment of the Fishermen's Association and its members that the project and the proposed landing of high voltage cables onshore in the Town of St. George, Maine would…

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Added by Long Islander on November 28, 2017 at 9:30am — 1 Comment

Here’s Why You Should Call, Not Email, Your Legislators

“What representatives and staffers want to hear is the individual impact of your individual story,” she said. “I couldn’t listen to people’s stories for six to eight hours a day and not be profoundly impacted by them.”

Representatives in Congress may not be able to respond to individual phone calls, but your odds may be higher if you contact officials at the local or state levels.…

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Added by Long Islander on November 27, 2017 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Monhegan to Mt. Katahdin - How Many Wind Turbines Appear In These Maine Landscapes?

None.

But I forget. Painters know nothing of what constitutes beauty. Bureaucrats do.

Bureaucrats and "landscape architects" are the authorities who deem Maine's scenery OK to trash with industrial wind turbine garbage.

December 17th, 2017 - October 7th, 2018

On a Mountain…

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Added by Long Islander on November 23, 2017 at 10:30pm — 2 Comments

Stanton County, NE bars wind energy development

A vast majority were against any wind development. “You're going to destroy our environment with tall, massive wind turbines so (people in Omaha) can feel comfortable,” Stanton resident Tony Wortman said. “Do they put wind turbines in Omaha? Do you put wind turbines in Stanton? No, but you'll go out in the country and you'll irritate a neighbor… so bad that they're talking about moving. ”…

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Added by Long Islander on November 22, 2017 at 4:00pm — No Comments

U.S. Senator: End Wind Production Tax Credit at End of This Year

by LAMAR ALEXANDER November 17, 2017 4:30 PM

It’s an expensive, wasteful subsidy to an inefficient industry. Congress is focused on making our backward tax code into something that encourages our nation’s instinct for creativity and innovation. As we look at all the wasteful and unnecessary tax breaks that are holding us back, I have a nomination: At the top of the list should be ending the quarter-century-old wind production tax credit now — not two years from…

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Added by Long Islander on November 18, 2017 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

My Turn: Some serious questions in regards to renewable energy

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

On Oct. 25, two well-intentioned organizations, Greening Greenfield and The Trap Rock Peace Center, showed the film “Breakthrough in Renewable Energy” at the First Congregational Church. Everyone would be wise to watch this film, which you can for free on YouTube.

Backlight VPRO, a…

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Added by Long Islander on November 18, 2017 at 9:00am — No Comments

Project to bring Canadian hydropower to New England gets federal approval

“They have a permit to cross the international border but they don’t have a permit to site the project on 192 miles of New Hampshire landscape. That is what the SEC will determine,” said Will Abbott, the vice president for policy with the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, which opposes the project.

“Their exuberance may be a bit premature,” he said. “We believe the evidence makes a clear argument why the permit should be denied. We feel very confident that there is…

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Added by Long Islander on November 17, 2017 at 4:00pm — 1 Comment

Maine Wind Energy Law Update from Juliet Browne of Portland Law Firm Verrill Dana

This energy blog discusses several departures from current DEP practice in the areas of decommissioning, power purchase agreements, effect on electricity rates and setbacks.

SEE: http://www.energylawupdate.com/energy-law-update/2017/11/15/maine-department-of-environmental-protection-issues-draft-wi-1.html

Added by Long Islander on November 16, 2017 at 3:26pm — 3 Comments

Question of the Week

Received this today from a person in the Maine wind opposition:

New England (and Maine) electricity prices have dropped by MORE THAN HALF since 2015. $8.3 billion in 2014 to $3.6 billion in 2016. That’s the “energy” side of your light bill. The other half of your light bill is the CMP side; transmission & distribution. Has your light bill gone down? No. …

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Added by Long Islander on November 15, 2017 at 1:00pm — 1 Comment

PPH - Vermont wind-turbine noise rules displease everyone

On Maine’s Vinalhaven Island, David and Sally Wylie said they were shocked when the three offshore turbines were turned on in 2009 before the new rules were enacted.

“We’d been told the wind and the trees would cancel the noise out. We stood outside as the wind turbines came on, it was just whack, whack, whack! It was so loud,” David Wylie said. They built a soundproof bedroom with 12-inch thick walls just so they could sleep.…

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Added by Long Islander on November 13, 2017 at 10:19am — 1 Comment

Should Maine hold power companies more accountable for outages?

“The CMP Maine Power Reliability Program certainly did not keep the lights on in Maine despite the program’s $1.4 billion price tag,” he wrote. “CMP’s incompetence and lack of planning turned what should have been a short power outage into a prolonged and painful experience.”

Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, who chairs the Legislature’s committee overseeing energy and utilities, also held utilities’ feet to the fire on his Facebook page.

“As a CMP customer, you … pay the cost for…

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Added by Long Islander on November 10, 2017 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

Op-ed authors fail to make case for opposing natural gas pipeline (PPH)

Every winter, some Mainers must choose between groceries and their heating bills. Worldwide, millions of energy-poor people die every year because they lack a clean fuel such as natural gas for cooking and heating and the energy necessary to make clean water.

I am an early adopter of solar energy; unfortunately, there are times when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. At those times, I need a reliable source of electricity provided by a regulated…

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Added by Long Islander on November 9, 2017 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Why Mainers Should Be Outraged Over Worst Power Outage In State's History (in Forbes)

The CMP Maine Power Reliability Program (MPRP) certainly did not keep the lights on in Maine despite the program’s $1.4 billion price tag........“If we don't do this, the lights will go out in southern Maine,” said Sara Burns, the former CEO of CMP, in 2008......To put the scale of this transmission investment in perspective, only about 1.3 million people live in Maine, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This means CMP spent about $2,500 for every single customer it serves in…

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Added by Long Islander on November 7, 2017 at 12:00pm — 5 Comments

Bethel Wind Vote Nov 13

Following that hearing, expected to last about an hour, Bethel will hold public hearings on proposed amendments to the town’s commercial wind ordinance and a request for authorization for selectmen to dispose of the former West Bethel Children’s Center building. The wind proposal will be voted on at a special town meeting Nov.…

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Added by Long Islander on November 5, 2017 at 10:30am — 2 Comments

Bristol Herald Courier: USDA aiding Vinalhaven electric co-op

Is any of the money going to wind "farm" maintenance and repair one wonders?

Pingree is a resident of North Haven. She says the electrical energy for the islands' grid is mostly generated on Vinalhaven by a community-owned wind farm. …

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Added by Long Islander on November 4, 2017 at 10:00am — 7 Comments

Wind industry crying about U.S. tax proposal

The world’s largest wind turbine makers said a proposed Republican tax bill that would cut support for the industry in the U.S. would put its businesses and future investment at risk, in a rare public criticism on Friday of government proposals.......Equipment makers operating in the world’s second-largest wind turbine market have relied upon so-called production tax credits (PTC) agreed in 2015. In a new tax bill, unveiled late on Thursday, the PTC would be cut to 1.5 dollar cents per…

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Added by Long Islander on November 4, 2017 at 9:30am — 7 Comments

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Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

Not yet a member?

Sign up today and lend your voice and presence to the steadily rising tide that will soon sweep the scourge of useless and wretched turbines from our beloved Maine countryside. For many of us, our little pieces of paradise have been hard won. Did the carpetbaggers think they could simply steal them from us?

We have the facts on our side. We have the truth on our side. All we need now is YOU.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

 -- Mahatma Gandhi

"It's not whether you get knocked down: it's whether you get up."
Vince Lombardi 

Task Force membership is free. Please sign up today!

Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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