Massive Oakfield Project has Towers Going Up
The massive Oakfield Wind project has towers being erected at a steady pace. There will be 50 Vestas V112 turbines when complete, each standing 492 ft tall from base to apex of the blade. This project represents one of the worst travesties in our sordid history of wind power projects in Maine, as DEP Commissioner Aho allowed First Wind (now SunEdison) to amend an existing license for 35 1.5 MW GE turbines, each at 389 ft tall, and expand it to this completely different project, impacting a far broader area. Now the project clearly impacts high quality Pleasant Pond and Mattawamkeag Lake, unlike with the previous approved project. There was only a "public comment meeting"--no hearing and no re-filing as a different project starting at the beginning, which clearly should have been the case. Here are some photos that have come in recently.
From the Brown Rd. in Oakfield, see partially finished towers and two cranes.
Meet the Vestas V112 3.0MW turbine.
This photo is from Pleasant Pond in Island Falls (or NOT SO Pleasant Pond anymore!) The original project would not have had this huge impact on this gorgeous pond and nearby Mattawamkeag Lake.
Views: 485
Comment
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Comment by Eric A. Tuttle on July 9, 2015 at 8:07pm
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Comment by Penny Gray on June 25, 2015 at 8:03am
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When "Silent Spring" was written, DDT was the demon. There's another demon soon to be looming on all of Maine's horizons.
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They are disrupting traffic as they pass thru Lincoln. Sad indeed for Maine and a blight on the landscape for the people who love the lakes.
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Media's abdication of its duty to inform the public will only be resolved by not supporting them with the purchase, viewing or listening of their outlet.
On another note: Having attended (barring 1) all work sessions of the ENR and some EUT, this was probably the most honest thing that I heard, as it was stated in the committee work sessions on at least two occasions,
......we (the committee) are unqualified to make these decisions and are left to rely only on those experts and the public that provide us information .....
Reflective thoughts:
The only lunacy is a time constraint (by corporate created statute) to make a decision. Good laws take time. Laws that are adopted too quickly are often revisited and tweaked, usually by corporations, without public notice, that exploit the weaknesses of a law not carefully based on sciences and facts. Better laws were created back when Maine's Legislature met only every two years, which was not so long ago. It gave our Legislators time to become Informed, listen to the people, research the facts of science and potential harms or benefits. A slower process, yes, but more carefully thought out. This is something that where going backwards, is a step forward. Over 1500 bills were introduced this session starting in 2015. Who has the time to make an informed decision as to how to correct the past wrongs, or implement better protections in 5½ months? Especially when those that seek to exploit Maine have had years to design their attack with implementation of prior language to allow for a final strike.
As I view these photos, I have to wonder if the public is aware that 116,072.46+ tons of CO² Per turbine has already been committed to the atmosphere through the time of their removal, even if they do not provide a single watt of power. (more if repairs are needed) Not to mention the CO² for transmission lines, or any storage capacity when the technology arrives.
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Comment by Monique Aniel Thurston on June 24, 2015 at 10:18am
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Negligence and malpractice at its best , the DEP and Law Court , at the time of the permit's appeals had full knowledge of the arguments both on noise and scenic because of the previous cases in Rollins, Roxbury and Spruce Mountain.
Moreover James Palmer , scenic adviser to The DEP recognized in front of the BEP the limits of so called expert advices on " reasonable versus unreasonable adverse effects from the turbines on the landscape " and had suggested that The BEP advised the Legislature to establish guidelines on the matter .
This is a crime against Maine .
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Comment by Long Islander on June 24, 2015 at 9:42am
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Monuments to the game being rigged and the media's abdication of its duty to inform the public.
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Looks like turbines are fairly close to that farm?
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Maine; A Natural Treasure destroyed by Legislative Lunacy
Truly criminal.
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/
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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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