Brad Blake's Blog (128)

The following is a letter sent to Congress, signed by 88 organizations that oppose the extension of the Production Tax Credit.  Pick a few lines from this to send in your own letter!

Dear United States Senators and Representatives:

The principal federal support for wind energy, the so-called Production Tax Credit (PTC), is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. The undersigned…

Patriot Renewables has ruined the northeastern ridge of Spruce Mt. in Woodstock with 10 turbines, each…

This is great news out of England, as a re-shuffling of the Energy Ministry has placed the leadership in the hands of a leader who acknowledges that wind is not a good deal, that subsidies should be curtailed, and people do not want the beautiful and historic countryside destroyed.  This should be helpful in the coming battle over ending the USA's Production Tax Credit.  Maine and the rest of "New" England should learn from "Old" England and end this folly.…

IS THIS VISTA FROM THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL

ON BALDPATE THE FUTURE???

 …

The day before the AWEA Regional Conference was to begin, I sent the following to all Maine media to let them know that we, the citizens, wanted to be included in the reporting on the AWEA regional conference.  I provided plenty of facts as well as our common positions of opposition to wind power development in Maine. 

The following is a screen capture of an excel spreadsheet provided by an insightful and analytical critic of industrial wind projects in Maine.  It takes extrapolation of data from the FERC website, but it is very revealing of the pricing, income, and output of these familiar projects.  As might be expected, output is higher in the first quarter (January, February, March) as strong winds usually accompany exiting winter storms and we all know March is a windy, transition month for weather. …

The track record of DEP answering questions from their "Public Comment Meetings" is sketchy, at best.  Vague answers, dismissive tones to answers, wind industry talking points for answers, dodging answers by referring questions to other entities such as the PUC.  Commissioner Aho acknowledged at the July 12 meeting in Greenbush that she stated to CTFWP members Monique Aniel, Steve Thurston, and me that there is a "New Tone" being set regarding how DEP handles wind power applications.  Could…

The Lincoln Lakes region has long had the slogan "Land of 13 Lakes".  Alas, since the sprawling Rollins Wind site was built on the ridges above the lakes, the slogan should change to "Land of 40 Turbines".  One of the finest lakes, Silver Lake in Lee, is just east of the 389 foot tall wind turbines of the Rollins project.  Riding a tube behind a power boat is one of my grand-niece Mariah's favorite fun things while up to the cottage on Silver Lake.  The omni-present  turbines got in this…

Today, the Lincoln News carried the following ad seeking interested injured parties to join a possible Class Action Lawsuit regarding the impact of the Rollins Wind Project in Lincoln Lakes.  If you feel you come under any of these impacts, go to the website listed in the ad.

I recently found the listing of grants that have been awarded via Section 1603 of ARRA.  This program is fortunately ending at the end of 2012, but any wind project that shows a "substantial" start on a project before then (such as beginning construction on an access road beyond just tree clearing) will be grandfathered in to this gift of taxpayer money.  The Obama administration used the Recovery Act as a way to boost an industry that can't stand on its own.  In lieu of the PTC for ten…

So, here we go, into the strange new world where sometimes, when the wind blows just right, all those hundreds or thousands of usually unproductive turbines in an area spring to life and a huge surge of wind energy goes to the grid.  This article below is from the New York Times.  I have done some highlights in red.  Wind power meets overbuilding capacity meets Big Brother.

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Here is the latest:

First Wind is Throwing A Party!!!

Let's Be a Spoiler!!!

WHAT:  Ribbon Cutting ceremony for First Wind's Rollins Project

WHEN:  Wednesday, July 20, 2011 likely at 11:00…

Testimony Before LURC on June 26, 2011 in Lincoln, ME Regarding a Proposed Wind Power Complex in Bowers Mountain/Kossuth Township

Photo below is the view of Rollins Mt. from Dennis Mahar's home on Long Pond in Lincoln:…

Wind Power Investors Get Another Reality Check

By John Peterson on Seeking Altha

Last Wednesday I stirred up a hornets nest with an article titled "A Reality Check for Wind Power Investors" that included two graphs from the Bonneville Power Administration, or BPA,…

I was born in and grew up in Lincoln, with the omnipresent Mt. Katahdin just a ways up the Penobscot River.  I was drawn to it at an early age and now, in my old age, can only savor the indelible views from high upon the mountain from the memory of dozens of hikes to the summit.  In my teens, I discovered, much to my delight, the wonderful writings of Thoreau.  How thrilled I was to read his account of climbing “Ktaadn” and his words have stayed with me forever.  In “The Maine Woods”,…

The Bangor Daily News recently ran an editorial where out-going Dept of Conservation Commissioner was expressing concern about the incoming Governor cutting parks budget.  This is my response:

Save the Parks and Public Reserved Lands from Turbines

When did Eliza Townsend ever speak up to Baldacci about the greatest single threat to…

Let us all vow that Rollins will be the last wind project to get built in our state!!!

Today is Thanksgiving. I give thanks to all the wonderful people I have met in our cause to stop the proliferation of industrial wind across our beautiful state. I give thanks for the local victories we have attained as well as the progress we are making state-wide with our ever increasing visibility.…