I read where a wind "farm" was being sued in New York. The people who leased a small part of their land to the wind scammers were unable to sell anything until matters were settled in court. Somethin…

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Comment by Martha Thacker on January 10, 2010 at 6:47pm

Art

I am so sorry that I do not have a pdf to send re. PR firm that First Wind uses. At the time that I got the email, did not realize it's importance, or I would have put it in favorites. I also was mistaken in thinking all emails would be there in the future if I needed them . I have already looked for that particular email and it was too long ago. I suppose it could be found by an expert, which I am not. Am barely computer literate....it does hold me back.


At the time, I thought it odd to even get it. But WSJ does represent a certain segment of society which opposes anything which will affect oil and gas interests. I have sent out a LOT of emails to editors and journalists. I can count on one hand the times that I got a response.

Comment by Art Brigades on January 10, 2010 at 5:01pm

Martha- Regarding the PR tactics you mention, can you please document that, perhaps by posting it here in pdf format?

Comment by Art Brigades on January 10, 2010 at 4:46pm

Absolutely, Martha. HQ wants to build a 1400 mw line to our south, whether through Maine or New Hampshire. If it is an 'express' line to Boston, Maine needs to collect a 'toll' of some kind. But if it allows Maine to tap into it as it passes through, we will also benefit from the ostensibly cheap power that HQ produces. Furthermore, it HQ floods the market with affordable green power, these wind farms in Maine won't find any customers willing to pay their per-kwh charge.
Regarding

Comment by Martha Thacker on January 10, 2010 at 4:01pm

So if ME does actually start building deepwater offshore wind farms . Where is the power going to go?

It is a fact that wind farms were built in NY (Cohocton)and ME (Stetson I and II)without the grid capacity to transmit the power. Both times the knowlege was made public, we were told that the transmission lines would be in place in 2011.

Since PUC has not even approved of new transmission lines..it seems like very cart before the horse thinking. And also wind energy , govt. and PUC not exactly being forthcoming. Also First Wind , by their own financial statement, does not even have the ability to finance anything. Construction was started on Stetson II after a stimulus bill bail out. Ilegal but so it goes...

cohoctonwindwatch ....http://bit.ly/3XMRV1

Comment by Martha Thacker on January 10, 2010 at 3:51pm

I don't think ME has the transmission line infrastructure for Canadian power to go to New England. It also is not there in NH. NH has no interest in spending the money as they are not bought and paid for by wind energy.

The Mars Hill wind farm's power goes to Canada. Seems like if ME had the infrastructure it would have already been routed thru ME to the greater New England area...because that is where the real money is.

I think baldaci and the gang are doing there usual bait and switch act to make us think we need the transmission lines for cheap Canadian power. He is also trying to hook the LNG terminal in Washington County into it. The LNG terminal has already been turned down by Canadian govt as being harmful to tourism and the environment. The US Coast Guard has stated it is not safe. Doesn't stop baldaci from pushing it. He may get a multi million dollar govt. grant to prove Canada is wrong about their country. Who knows.

So this is a very tall order for baldaci to pull of since he is about as lame duck as an elected person can get. But then he has some big monied politically connected people behind him. One never knows.

Comment by Martha Thacker on January 9, 2010 at 6:20am

They do hire PR people. I sent an email to a journalist writing for Wall Street Journal. She sent me a PR firm's plan for going into a community and setting up shop. It was followed in the building of the Stetson Mt wind farm.

1) Become friendly with local businessmen and politicians. (this was done. They also gave out "gifts". Sometimes known as "fees".)
2) Minimize local opposition and maximize support. (First Wind talked as long as they wanted at hearings. Locals were given only a few minutes. No questions were answered by LURC or First Wind at our hearing.) In NY wind farm executives lined the room at hearings and glared at the locals in their seats. Intimidation.At the Lee hearing, those who spoke for the building of Stetson had all gotten gifts. Representatives from the snowmobile association, lung association and Kirk Richie , selectman for Lee. He did not represent the Stetson Mt wind farm area but still went around pushing wind farms. He got a gift.

Comment by Art Brigades on January 8, 2010 at 11:54am

only WIND power we need...sorry

Comment by Art Brigades on January 8, 2010 at 11:54am

Offshore wind power is the only power we need. And need is dubious. If it all goes offshore we won't need the MPRP as proposed because transmission will be easier underwater all the way south of Kittery. We will, however, need spinning reserve. That could come from Hydro Quebec, as Dagher says. But only if Maine makes a deal with them. But if Maine makes a deal with them who will buy Habib's 29 cent wind power when Hydro Quebec is linked into us with green power that costs them 2 cents to produce? Baldacci's painted himself into a corner. HQ doesn't need or want to sell us power. They want to cut thru our yard on the way to New York. Lots of potential bad endings to the story. One could be New Hampshire doing what it does so well: rob us blind, in other words HQ gets its 1400mw wire in NH instead of ME... Lose - Lose for turbineland. Regardless, it is crucial that we stop all this ireversible mountaintop desecration done for very short term goals and that will ultimately be superfluous and abandoned.

Comment by Long Islander on January 8, 2010 at 11:49am

The following comments are from the Gorham PUC public hearing from Don Perkins, who identified himself as "co-Chair of the Governor's Ocean Energy Task Force". (Perkins is also the president of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute -- http://gmri.org/people/index.asp)

I believe this testimony evidences rather well that the state's aggressive wind power goals will require the transmission upgrade. I have excerpted as follows:


MR. BUCKLEY: The person in the back?

MR. DON PERKINS: I was not sworn in, I'm afraid.

MR. BUCKLEY: Would you like to be?

MR. PERKINS: Yeah, if -- if it's important.

MR. BUCKLEY: Yeah. I can do that.

MR. PERKINS: I don't know if it matters or not.

MR. BUCKLEY: If you'll just raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you will give tonight will be wholly truthful?

MR. PERKINS: I do.

MR. BUCKLEY: Thank you.

MR. PERKINS: Thank you. Good evening. My name is Don Perkins. I'm a resident of Westbrook, Maine, and I'm here tonight speaking in my capacity as co-Chair of the Governor's Ocean Energy Task Force. And I'm circulating written testimony to -- to each of you.

The Governor created the Task Force a year ago to examine Maine's ocean energy resources and to recommend measures to advance development of Maine's vast offshore wind, tidal, and wave energy resources in an environmentally responsible manner. The Governor introduced legislation recommended by the Task Force last spring establishing a 60-day general permit for the testing and demonstration of emerging technologies, primarily deep-water offshore wind technologies, by the University of Maine and private companies in pre-identified state waters. That legislation passed unanimously, and in less -- and in less than two weeks from now, the state will announce up to five sites where this kind of testing can occur. As I'm sure you're all aware, the University recently received an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct deep-water floating turbine research here in the Gulf of Maine.

The Task Force had its last meeting last Tuesday to discuss our final recommendations, which will be delivered to the Governor later this -- this month and to the legislature early next year. One of the recommendations that we're going to be making is -- is to set a statutory goal of developing 5,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030. This would be in addition to the existing statutory goal to develop 2,700 megawatts of onshore wind by 2020.

Perhaps just as important as the number of megawatts to generate from the ocean's wind, tides, and waves is the Task Force's belief and recommendation that we use this renewable energy to not only keep our lights and computers on, but also to replace our reliance on fossil fuels to heat where we live and work and to power the vehicles that move our people and goods. Such transformation will reduce and stabilize the costs of heating and transportation, keep hundreds of millions of dollars in Maine, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly.

Development of -- of 8,000 megawatts of -- of wind on- and offshore and electrification of heating and transportation is obviously an extraordinarily ambitious undertaking that will require leadership and action on many fronts over decades. It will include significant work on siting and permitting, coordination -- coordination with federal permitting agencies, economic development strategy, financing mechanisms, and ensuring that the electric transmission grid has the capacity to accommodate that much new wind power. The Ocean Energy Task Force will be making recommendations on all these fronts to help move development of Maine's renewable energy resources forward as efficiently as possible.

The need for transmission and possibly distribution capacity increases is not trivial. Maine's renewable energy goals can't be met without a robust and reliable transmission infrastructure and the addition of significant new transmission capacity in Maine and in the region. The offshore wind and tidal power developers that have appeared before the Task Force have emphasized this point. The Task Force will be proposing legislation that is needed to make transmission siting and permitting more efficient so that Maine can realize its ambition -- ambitious 8,000 megawatt goal.

Furthermore, because wind is an intermittent resource, there's a need to provide balancing energy resources -- sources. The example of Denmark using hydropower from -- from Norway as one of the sources of balancing its wind power is pretty well known. Although Maine is blessed with considerable existing hydropower resources, it's likely to have to look outside its borders, as we all know, to balance the addition of significant new wind development. Our proximity to balancing power in Canada and our potential operation of a regional -- in a regional energy market makes integration of significant new on- and offshore wind generation into the New England grid important.

National efforts are underway that will determine whether Maine and the other New England states import energy generated from wind and coal from the Midwest or generate clean energy for local use and export and capture the economic benefits here at home. Maine must demonstrate not only its support and commitment to developing new resources of renewable energy, but also that it can site and permit sufficient new transmission efficiently to deliver that energy to Maine people and to the regional market. I offer these comments with acute sensitivity to the fact that the PUC and the Department of Environmental Protection must consider a complex mix of private citizen, municipal, and state interests in the course of siting and permitting decisions.

But I -- I would -- I would emphasize that the Task Force is -- is comprised of 20 -- 20 individuals, very diverse in background, environmentalists, business people, legislators, whatnot. We struggle with a lot of complex issues. And frankly, I was surprised to see how easily we came to the decision of setting an ambitious goal of 5,000 megawatts. I was also surprised to see when we met last week that -- that we quite easily came to the decision that we really ought to stand up and -- and comment to you.

So on behalf of the Governor's Ocean Energy Task Force, I urge you all to take Maine's wind power goals into considerations -- into consideration, provide Maine with a robust transmission grid as the foundation for competing in the highly competitive renewable energy market, and ensure that Maine is feasible for and attractive to renewable energy developers to site their projects.

Thank you.

MR. BUCKLEY: Thank you.

Comment by Long Islander on January 8, 2010 at 11:42am

The wind complexes are increasingly being used as a justification for CMP's $1.5 billion upgrade. The following quote is from the Gorham PUC Public Hearing on the Maine Power "Reliability" Project on 12/3 and speaks volumes:

"I would actually be an abutter to this project that's going in. I do live in Lewiston. And I'm very surprised tonight, I'm hearing so much about wind power. It seems like the whole argument now has shifted from do we need these power lines for reliability in Maine to need them to support wind power, which -- that's another whole argument, to me, for another whole project and discussion".

See "Archived Documents" section of this website to read the very interesting transcripts from these PUC public hearings. The PEOPLE do not want this crap.

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