Long Islander's Blog (2,994)

Received this today from a person in the Maine wind opposition:

New England (and Maine) electricity prices have dropped by MORE THAN HALF since 2015. $8.3 billion in 2014 to $3.6 billion in 2016. That’s the “energy” side of your light bill. The other half of your light bill is the CMP side; transmission & distribution. Has your light bill gone down? No. …

On Maine’s Vinalhaven Island, David and Sally Wylie said they were shocked when the three offshore turbines were turned on in 2009 before the new rules were enacted.

“We’d been told the wind and the trees would cancel the noise out. We stood outside as the wind turbines came on, it was just whack, whack, whack! It was so loud,” David Wylie said. They built a soundproof bedroom with 12-inch thick walls just so they could sleep.…

“The CMP Maine Power Reliability Program certainly did not keep the lights on in Maine despite the program’s $1.4 billion price tag,” he wrote. “CMP’s incompetence and lack of planning turned what should have been a short power outage into a prolonged and painful experience.”

Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, who chairs the Legislature’s committee overseeing energy and utilities, also held utilities’ feet to the fire on his Facebook page.

“As a CMP customer, you … pay the cost for…

Every winter, some Mainers must choose between groceries and their heating bills. Worldwide, millions of energy-poor people die every year because they lack a clean fuel such as natural gas for cooking and heating and the energy necessary to make clean water.

I am an early adopter of solar energy; unfortunately, there are times when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. At those times, I need a reliable source of electricity provided by a regulated…

The CMP Maine Power Reliability Program (MPRP) certainly did not keep the lights on in Maine despite the program’s $1.4 billion price tag........“If we don't do this, the lights will go out in southern Maine,” said Sara Burns, the former CEO of CMP, in 2008......To put the scale of this transmission investment in perspective, only about 1.3 million people live in Maine, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This means CMP spent about $2,500 for every single customer it serves in…

Following that hearing, expected to last about an hour, Bethel will hold public hearings on proposed amendments to the town’s commercial wind ordinance and a request for authorization for selectmen to dispose of the former West Bethel Children’s Center building. The wind proposal will be voted on at a special town meeting Nov.…

Is any of the money going to wind "farm" maintenance and repair one wonders?

Pingree is a resident of North Haven. She says the electrical energy for the islands' grid is mostly generated on Vinalhaven by a community-owned wind farm. …

The world’s largest wind turbine makers said a proposed Republican tax bill that would cut support for the industry in the U.S. would put its businesses and future investment at risk, in a rare public criticism on Friday of government proposals.......Equipment makers operating in the world’s second-largest wind turbine market have relied upon so-called production tax credits (PTC) agreed in 2015. In a new tax bill, unveiled late on Thursday, the PTC would be cut to 1.5 dollar cents per…

It's taken 10 years but decision makers are starting to take a bold stand against the scourge of industrial wind.

The legislators and county commissioners referenced in the article below have taken a strong stand and should be applauded for their support.  The Moosehead region is working very hard to try and stop development – fighting multiple developers and CMP - not any easy…

“Market conditions back in 1992 no longer exist. Big wind no longer needs the Production Tax Credit, and certainly cannot justify the extraordinary benefits received [3.5¢/kWh pre-tax]. Retaining the subsidy in light of lower installation costs and increased production serves only to further distort the market and bestow a bounty on big wind that far exceeds what 1992 lawmakers could ever have envisioned.”…

“It’s easy to spend other people’s money,” said Rep. Michael Vose, R-Epping, who introduced a last-minute amendment to gut RGGI funding. “But nobody knows how to spend money better than the person that manages it, and this will benefit ratepayers.”............................The committee also voted by 11-10 to recommend HB 114, which would roll back the requirement that state utilities include 15 percent new renewable energy source, like wind and solar, by 2025.“They are a tax…

Wind developers argue that the new limits of 39 decibels during the night and 42 decibels at day around homes near wind turbines could hamper new projects. Anti-wind activists say the limits might not be strict enough....................Vermonters for a Clean Environment Director Annette Smith is optimistic that an even more strict 30-dBA standard is possible. She said statements made by the PUC seem to document on record that a 30-decibel inside-sound standard is the clear…

Dixfield voters previously rejected DEP sound limits for industrial wind. They are the highest allowed in Maine, intended for wilderness projects. The planning board worked for months on a compromise proposal reducing sound limits by a modest 2 dB, seeking small protection for residents near the project.

Home value losses, sleep health risks and noise…

Wow, the one off Maine hasn't even had time to be destroyed in a storm and they're already preying on the poor folks in Barbados. 

The project, which Balfour explained is still in its early stages, would involve a three-way partnership with Emera, the BL&P and the University of Maine in the US.

“The plan would see a floating wind turbine that would be designed and built at the University of Maine, brought here to…

Surprise, surprise, surprise!  I would suggest that future decisions on what should replace the turbine not be entrusted to the Saco Energy and Sustainability Committee. They've had their chance. Maybe there should be a plaque put in place commemorating dumb politically correct wastes of taxpayer dollars.

Saco Public Works Director Patrick Fox hoped money could be made…

But the Trump administration, including Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, have been outspoken in support of both Yucca Mountain and consolidated interim storage. The Trump administration requested funds in the fiscal year 2018 budget to move the Yucca Mountain license application forward, as well as create a “robust” interim storage plan, according to Howes.…

Makes one wonder when the UMPI wonder wind turbine will do the same. A $2 million (and counting) total waste of public money. Think about that the next time the University of Maine System cries about money.

Based on the success of its solar energy program over the past year, Chesapeake College is decommissioning its wind turbine on the northeast corner of its campus at Rt. 50 and plans to invest future resources in renewable energy…

After Statoil’s departure, Aqua Ventus negotiated its own term sheet with the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC), outlining a 20-year offtake deal for $230/MWh, plus a 2.5% annual increase.

http://www.rechargenews.com/wind/1370046/umaine-in-talks-with-european-investors-for-first-us-floating-project

What a joke.

Instead of importing outdated fuels, we should be exporting clean energy that was developed by hardworking Mainers. Maine does not need a pipeline – we need homegrown, renewable energy.…

Perhaps worth contacting about wind turbine related health concerns.

Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention

286 Water Street

State House Station 11

Augusta, ME 04333-0011

General Information / Receptionist: (207) 287-8016

TTY users call Maine Relay 711

email contact for questions…