Comment

Comment by Brad Blake on December 15, 2013 at 11:14pm

I attended the public meeting at Maine Audubon in Falmouth on Dec. 4th when the young wildlife biologist responsible for the report and a representative of the Appalachian Mt. Club did their presentations. The entire basis of the report is to propose that areas above 2700 ft in elevation, which is roughly the transition into sub-alpine ecosystem, should not have wind turbines. Yeah, right, easy to say you are protecting wildlife resources and you oppose some siting of wind power when it is an area that the wind industry isn't going to build anyway. It is too expensive, compared to Maine's many lower, more accessible ridges.
AMC is happy because it means much of their AT corridor won't have wind turbines built right on top of it. That said, the group continues to cling to the false premise that wind turbines are effective in battling climate change and pollution.
Both Maine Audubon and AMC are blithely willing to cede the entire remainder of the state of Maine to a build out of turbines. They render all the wildlife in this state into two classes: protected wildlife living above 2700 ft and condemned, lower class wildlife living in the rest of the state. I have never heard of anything more absurd!
Nearly every question in the Q & A session was a hard, critical question. In just the 45 minutes of presentation (nobody had an advance copy), the audience was clearly upset with the obvious tone of supporting the wind industry and arbitrary goals for installed capacity of wind at the expense of the wildlife and the "Quality of Place" that we have in Maine. The clearly nervous moderator cut off questions while dozens of people still had their hands up to be called upon. Maine Audubon needs to throw this report in the trash and start all over.

Comment by Harrison Roper on December 15, 2013 at 4:25pm

Repeating myself (it can't be said too often): In discussing Maine inland wind power, actual power produced has proven to be less than 25% of "installed capacity".  Federal Energy Regulation Commission figures for 2012 demonstrate this basic fact.  

  So, when First Wind asserts: "can power 4,000 homes", correct this exaggerrated salesman's pitch to a realistic 1,000 homes; then include the cost of building, and maintaining, and operating at a moment's notice alternative power sources;  then add in the cost of building and maintaining additional transmission  lines to accommodate  wind's surges, which can cause sudden blackouts. You will conclude: WIND AIN'T WORTH IT, and it never was.   Harrison Roper   Houlton/Danforth

Comment by Thinklike A. Mountain on December 6, 2013 at 2:05pm

Here's a great comment about Maine Audubon that someone left in yesterday's Bangor Daily News:

From under the turbines 

If I were the wind industry in Maine, and a bunch of years ago I saw that the birders and environmentalists were going to give me a hard time as I tried to plaster the state with turbines, I’d build as best a plan as I could to subvert those organizations and thwart any real assault they might make against the wind industry.

Probably what I’d do (remember, I’m just putting myself in their shoes at the time) is get a bunch of my wind industry cronies and friends to join the group(s), and start to give money. Then with enough of us in the organization, we could make a move on the executive suite, the board and organization big wigs, including the treasurer, the development staff, and the legal staff. Along the way we give as much money as it takes to hold onto the organization and to exploit its do-gooder reputation and its power to attract private and public money, while keeping in mind this whole plan wouldn’t happen overnight.

At the point in which “we” had enough control over the board and the organization, this non-profit group simply becomes an arm of the for-profit wind industry, with any preservation of birds and wildlife just the cost of doing business. Scratch one opposition group, hello a support group with widespread support of the gullible and the innocent.

Next?...

Comment by Whetstone_Willy on December 5, 2013 at 10:03pm

Is YOUR environmental group taking blood money from the wind industry? These wind companies can go bankrupt at a moment's notice, e.g., when federal subsidies dry up and they are like junkies begging the federal government for money. So ask yourself why they always manage to find tens of thousands of dollars to give to the so called environmental groups. 

Maine Audubon lists corporate sponsors on its website at http://maineaudubon.org/support/corporate-partners/2013-corporate-p...

Maine Audubon conveys to First Wind "EAGLE LEVEL" status. At a time when our federal government only rarely prosecutes their crony friends in the ENRON-created wind industry for the incredible numbers of eagles it destroys, Maine Audubon has the tenacity to honor First Wind with "EAGLE" status.

In 2013 alone Maine Audubon pocketed $10,000+ from First Wind. That's not necessarily $10,000. Note the PLUS SIGN. They don't say the actual amount.

Here are some other companies which make money from wind power which are cited as Maine Audubon sponsors:

Reed & Reed, Inc.

Central Maine Power Company

Emera Energy

Patriot Renewables

Comment by rick wood on December 5, 2013 at 5:37pm

 I have always trusted groups like MAS.

 It is disheartening to see them sell out to these whores.

 In fact I have a camp on a lake in Maine

 and have participated in the annual loon count for MAS for many years.

 Not anymore.

 Let the bastards find someone else for the annual count.

 If they support enough wind turbines there may not be enough to bother counting.

Comment by Richard McDonald/Saving Maine on December 5, 2013 at 12:27pm

I attended the MAS presentation last night and can't emphasize enough the lack of science involved in this study. The presenter admitted on a number of points that she could not fully explain the data they complied using GIS - they never went to a wind sight an did any real time data collection. This is a very troubling report for many reason, but the bottom line is that the wind developers have co-opted all of the environmental organizations in Maine period. We must band together and raise the necessary funds to combat their campaign - without a significant public campaign we don't stand a chance.

Comment by Martha Thacker on December 5, 2013 at 11:32am

Nice to see the wind farm corporations in damage control mode. According to First Wind's SEC report under risk factors, bird deaths are such a problem that it has to be listed as a possible financial risk. ..this has been going on for several years.(don't think it would be mentioned if it could be covered up)  Now that one court has actually prosecuted , I am sure they are worried.And of course, they depend on hand outs from the govt. to build...never seem to actually have any money themselves.

 

 

Comment by Harrison Roper on December 5, 2013 at 10:45am

I have always thought of the Maine Audubon Society as an honorable organization, but no more.

This report is a wishywashy, embarrassing cop-out to the power of big money.  I guess First Wind thinks they are getting their moneys'  worth as "Eagle" donors to this prostituted organization. Disgusting.

I will credit the Audubon Society for pointing out that installed capacity is not the same as real power generated, and that Maine turbines usually generate power at a rate well below their installed capacity.  The entire fleet of Maine industrial wind turbines had a Capacity Factor of less than 25% in 2012.   Harrison Roper  Houlton/Danforth