Research

Research is the foundation from which the Office of Tourism marketing strategy is built. The visitor research reports below offer useful information about our visitor's expenditures, demographics and interests.

Domestic Visitor Research

These reports only include data from U.S. residents.…

Please write to those responsible for Maine's tourism and let them know what you think about the threat of wind power projects to nearby tourism as well as the cumulative scenic impacts of multiple wind projects.

Maine Tourism Contact Information

State of Maine Tourism Office https://visitmaine.com/tourism-staff-directory

Governor's Conference on Tourism (April) …

Seriously Senator? Seriously Governor?

Your letters lauding UMPI's wind turbine would seem to indicate you simply don't know what you are talking about and should not be allowed to influence energy decisions. Got any new statements on the university's wind turbine debacle as it is soon to begin its 10th year of operation?…

RRB Energy Ltd.PS-600 wind turbine has been upgraded to a Vestas 47??? If so, what was the cost? What was the funding source? How much has been spent to date on this turbine since it was conceived? Does "upgraded to a Vestas 47" mean the nacelle has been replaced? If the turbine (presumably at least the nacelle???) has been replaced, what happened to the old one? How much did UMPI get for this? Has ANY news about The UM's possible purchase of a new wind turbine or component been reported in…

Central Maine Power wants to build the corridor to move hydro power from Quebec to Massachusetts......

Somerset County Commissioners, along with local state senators and representatives, previously issued a resolution strongly opposing additional wind turbines in the county. But CMP’s John Carroll, who attended Wednesday’s county commissioners’ meeting but did not speak, has said the transmission line project is for hydro power, not…

Actual costs of wind and solar systems tend to be hidden from the public, but when disclosed, can be hideously expensive..........the Deepwater Wind Block Island project of Rhode Island takes first prize for outrageous renewable electricity cost. The five-turbine offshore system went into operation in 2016 at a contracted price of 23.6 cents per kW-hr, with an annual…

Despite Congress’ decision to leave the wind PTC phase-out unchanged in the final tax bill, other changes in the law might upset plans for some projects.

Wind projects most at risk by the new tax bill are those that negotiated their finance package in the last two years based on a 35 precent corporate tax rate. Renegotiating these agreements, if possible, could result in higher debt assumed for the project, higher prices for the electricity sold (PPAs), and pressure to lower build…

In 2016, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed a law requiring the state to solicit contracts for 1,200 megawatts of renewable energy, including hydropower, onshore wind and solar power, along with at least 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind energy.

http://www.pressherald.com/2018/01/01/suppliers-of-renewable-energy-woo-bay-state/

Whether one believes in man made global warming or what one may believe may be the extent of man made global warming, a couple of things are certain:

1. Fighting climate change was a strong rationale for the Maine expedited wind law which is resulting in widespread wind industrialization throughout Maine. Industrialization which never would have or should have been permitted.

2. Massachusetts is requiring its ratepayers to use a large percentage of renewable energy and may be…

These are the task force members. Publicover was an alternate.

R. Alec Giffen (Chair), Director, Maine Forest Service

Senator Phillip Bartlett

Juliet Browne, Verrill Dana LLP

Pete Didisheim, Director of Advocacy, Natural Resources Council of Maine

Judith A. Dorsey, Retired Lawyer

Representative Stacey Fitts

Senator Walter…

Here's the latest via an email at 2:10PM today, 12/29/17. This, despite the fact that this was announced as a meeting one could audio stream on the EUT website.

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12;56 PM Dec 29, 2017 status:

I was just notified by a wind warrior who was in Augusta that "I…

East Coast fishermen are turning a wary eye toward an emerging upstart: the offshore wind industry......For fishermen, the broader concern is that offshore wind farms will only lead to more stifling restrictions.

http://www.sunjournal.com/u-s-fishermen-fear-forests-of-wind-turbines/

Also:

Yarmouth delays decision on…

The criminals in the wind industry and Mass legislature leadership will want to look towards their Maine wind plantation more than ever. 

Voters in this tiny Berkshire County hilltown, population around 800, overwhelmingly banned all new wind turbine development at a special town meeting. Thursday night's vote was 101-22, far more than the two-thirds majority needed to amend the town's zoning code.…

One has to pay NOT to have these miserable meters.

CMP’s $200 million smart-grid communications network, designed to improve outage communications and storm recovery, failed the first full day into the storm.…

“The vast majority of the public have never been near the mountains so they have no real idea of the damage that wind farms can do the the landscape,” said Mr Gibson.....“There have already been too many windfarms constructed – or will be built – that have irrevocably damaged the landscape, or will do when they are constructed.”…

EXCERPTS:

Rather than divide communities, they said their projects improve the lives of all residents..........Landowners often overlook potential problems until it’s too late. Many who sign contracts can’t terminate the agreements, even if they later beg for relief from what they deem intolerable living conditions........Elected officials tasked with voting on these developments have, in many cases, signed their own contracts with the wind companies, raising…

Some of the more important articles in this issue are:

Six-Month Investigation: In the Shadow of Wind Projects

Peer-reviewed study: Why Wind Turbine Sounds are Annoying, and Why it Matters

Court Finds Wind Turbine Noise Exposure a ‘Pathway to Disease’

Are Big Wind Firms Actually “Subsidy Miners”?

Final US Tax Bill is favorable to Wind Energy

France: 1.2 to 3.3 million bats destroyed by wind turbines

Massachusetts Offshore Wind Project…

Presumably it will be valid if it is emailed by midnight and thus timestamped Dec 18.

Please take a few minutes and email any comments you have by tomorrow, Monday, December 18, 2017.

Maine Wind Energy Act Standards: Public Comment Deadline: Dec 18, 2017

Agency contact:…

"We remain concerned about the potential impacts of the new Base Erosion Anti-Abuse Tax on renewable energy finance," said Gregory Wetstone, president and CEO for the large umbrella group American Council on Renewable Energy.

The BEAT provision was included in the Senate’s tax bill, inserted to discourage large multinational companies from keeping money offshore. It would reduce the tax deductibility enjoyed by financial…

The Punta Lima wind farm was significantly damaged, losing approximately half the turbine blades and sustaining vertical post damage, the report said. The Santa Isabel wind farm was "seemingly intact."



Wind farm repair costs are estimated at $25 million and solar farm repairs at $40 million, which could take approximately nine to 12 months. The cost to deploy microgrids is estimated at a little more than $1 billion and solar installations are recommended for new…