Maine Public | By Fred Bever

Published May 18, 2021 at 4:03 PM EDT

There was early momentum Tuesday for what could be Maine's next big transmission project linked to renewable energy goals, this one in Aroostook County. The latest plan, as envisioned in legislation before the utilities committee, got a positive review at the State House.

Energy analysts say the County has some of the state's best potential for developing cost-effective wind and other renewable…

Presented by President TROY JACKSON of Aroostook.

Cosponsored by Representative MARTIN of Eagle…

By Fred Bever | Maine Public | May 11, 2021

Tux Turkel - May 5, 2021

More than 60 commercial fishermen and their supporters testified Tuesday in favor of a bill that would block any attempt to develop offshore wind projects anywhere along the Maine coast.

The bill would prohibit any state agency from permitting or approving any offshore wind energy project regardless of its location. It was introduced by Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, a commercial fisherman, and co-sponsored by eight other…

May 3 - By PATRICK WHITTLE, Associated Press - pressherald.com

Sprawling wind farms located off the coast. Hydropower transmission lines that cut through some of America’s most beloved forests and rivers. Solar megaprojects of unprecedented size.

As President Biden’s administration plans to fight climate change by weaning the nation off fossil fuels, these large-scale renewable energy projects are the source of conflict within a seemingly unlikely group:…

Littell seems to be stuck in Augusta's revolving door.

.....................to meet growing demand for expertise on climate-related law and regulation.

Bernstein Shur, a firm based in Portland with more than 125 attorneys, announced the new practice Thursday on Earth Day with members of the multidisciplinary team led by shareholder David Littell as chair.

He told Mainebiz the initiative came from a couple of members of the firm's board after noticing that climate…

By Laurie Schreiber

Leaders in the lobster fishing industry are planning a “Protect the Gulf of Maine” rally in Augusta next week to highlight issues related to the development of offshore wind power.

“The fishermen are not opposed to renewable energy,” Virginia Olsen, a fourth-generation Stonington lobster fisherman who sits on the Maine Lobstering Union-Local 207 executive board, told Mainebiz by email. “But we are fighting for our iconic Maine way of life; not just our…

Please read the following articles and many more at the link below. (Once there, scroll down to page 27).

Maine counties chafe at lower-than-expected payments from wind projects

Lower- and middle-class Americans will pay a fortune for Biden’s wind-power plan

‘Obscene’ wind turbine subsidies revealed by new data

New grants prop up lobbying for renewable energy and strengthen ties to China

Federal funding fantasy: EV charging

Germany Energy…

Mills has a chance to fill key energy post as LePage appointee’s PUC term ends

EXCERPTS:

The 6-year term of Bruce Williamson, an economist who was nominated to the Maine Public Utilities Commission by then-Gov. Paul LePage in 2015, ended in March.

As Mills zeroes in on a PUC commissioner, she also will be considering her pick to head the Office of Public Advocate, an independent agency that…

Last week, the Biden administration announced “a bold set of actions” that it said will “catalyze” the installation of 30,000 megawatts of new offshore wind capacity by 2030. A White House fact sheet claimed the offshore push will create “good-paying union jobs” and “strengthen the domestic supply chain.” One problem: It didn’t contain a single mention of electricity prices or ratepayers.

The reason for the omission is obvious: President Biden’s offshore-wind scheme will be terrible…

Next year would mark a whopping 50 years for the politician.

Barry Hobbins, a longtime state legislator from Saco and currently Maine’s Public Advocate, announced Thursday that he will retire when his term ends in June.

Hobbins, a lawyer, has had a long career in public office, serving 13 terms in the Maine House and Senate dating back to 1972. He was appointed public advocate – representing the public’s interests on issues before the Maine Public Utilities…

Meanwhile, residents of interior Maine are lucky if monstrous wind turbines are not shoved to within a thousand feet of their homes.

The Maine legislature's idea of protecting "Vacationland" residents

New York State will emphasize its position that windfarms off the…

EXCERPTS:

By Bill Trotter | Bangor Daily News | April 8, 2021

The construction workers who traveled to central Kansas to erect a wind farm for utility giant American Electric Power thought it would be a good job. Then they fell victim to the troubling side of the renewable power industry.



The nomadic band of workers had come to the Flat Ridge III project from Texas, Michigan and other states to install 62 turbines with towers as tall as 300 feet using cranes and heavy machinery. But after a few months the project broke…

By Fred Bever | Maine Public | March 22, 2021 | www.mainepublic.org ~~

Protests over wind energy development off the coast of Maine changed course today. Several fishing boats reportedly circled a survey vessel off Monhegan Island, and federal and state law enforcement responded.

Lobsterman Larry Reed posted video on Facebook Monday morning of the Go Liberty, a 150-foot survey vessel, as it appeared to draw near lobster buoys in the…

By Donna M. Perry | Sun Journal

Excerpt:

According to a letter sent to Helix Maine Wind Development on March 4 by the Maine Revenue Services Property Tax Division, the state reduced the valuation of the 44-turbine facility by $54.86 million. As a result, a refund of $469,611.60 is warranted for property in the townships of Wyman, Jim Pond, Kibby, Chain of Ponds and Skinner for tax year 2020, according to supervisor Lisa Whynot’s letter to Helix. The refund to Helix is expected…

March 18, 2021 by Sarah Hinckley

MOUNT DESERT — As Maine lobster fishermen are working to navigate regulations for the safety of right whales and the effects of global warming on the industry, they are now being asked to share their territory with wind turbines.

“There’s so many different reasons to oppose it,” said Jack Merrill, a resident of Mount Desert and a member of the Cranberry Isles Fishermen’s Co-op who has made his living as a lobster fisherman…

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Excerpts

The state has identified an oval-shaped "area of interest" for the project, southeast of Casco Bay. To the west, the area crosses onto traditional fishing grounds called Jeffrey’s Basin and Platts Bank. Another fishing area, Mistaken Ground, is…

So this can power homes for up to two hours. Then what? What are the costs? How much power is lost in the course of charging and discharging the batteries? Effect on ratepayers and taxpayers? How clean/dirty are batteries across their life cycle? How long do the batteries last? Battery disposal? If there are ever huge numbers of batteries being charged during off-peak hours, will those hours still be off-peak?

Maine policymakers want to encourage such projects as…