Machias Valley News Observer: “It’s not about wind power. It’s about citizens rights"
February 5, 2014
UT Residents Take Back Rights in Wind Energy Development
- Written by Brittaney Shults
Concerned property owners of Trescott Township gathered at the Cobscook Community Learning Center on Saturday to strategize ways in gaining back the rights that were quietly taken from them by the Maine Legislature in 2008. A law had been passed that would allow fast-track wind development in nearly two-thirds of the state. The UT (Unorganized Territories) in Maine was divided into two parts and grid-scale wind power permitting and rules were adopted in correlation to the location. Unfortunately, residents living in expedited unorganized territories lost access to their town government (Land Use Planning Commission) when the law was passed, and as a result lost their voice to speak out, while those living in organized territory and non-expedited UT still obtain the right to be involved in future wind power development within their communities. Many expedited UT residents are unaware that this has happened.
Hosting the meeting was Katherine Cassidy. Cassidy reminded the audience that the focus of the assembly was not targeted towards future wind power development in Maine. The urgent cause for the gathering was to recognize that the rights of certain citizens are being jeopardized. “It’s not about wind power. It’s about citizens rights,” said Cassidy. Early in 2013 a bill was proposed known as LD 616, An Act To Amend the Expedited Permitting Area for Wind Energy Development under the Jurisdiction of the Land Use Planning Commission (a carry over bill involving a two-year term process). The title of this bill can be misleading to its purpose. Just by reading the title one would assume that it is an act geared toward wind energy development. However, this proposed bill is the first step taken in giving back rights to expedited UT residents.
Read the full article here: http://machiasnews.com/index.php/292-ut-residents-take-back-rights-...
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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/
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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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