Long Islander's Blog – June 2021 Archive (8)

EXCERPTS:

.......Six new solar projects and one existing wind farm were selected Tuesday by the Maine Public Utilities Commission as the best clean-energy choices to supply power for Central Maine Power and Versant Power customers.

.......The one existing project winner, for 50 percent of its 132-megawatt output, was Helix Maine Wind Development LLC. The wind farm is in the Boundary Mountains of Franklin County. (Kibby Mountain)

.......Interest groups that support clean…

Ellsworth American - Ethan Genter - June 23, 2021

AUGUSTA — A compromise has emerged in the state Legislature that would install a permanent ban on wind energy development in state waters and give the fishing industry a seat at the table on any federal projects that want to connect to land through the state’s jurisdiction.

The compromise came from the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, which had been considering a pair of dueling bills on offshore wind. The first…

The writer, Marina Schauffler, before becoming a journalist served as a communications consultant to numerous environmental organizations and agencies. In the piece, excepted below, she talks about the threat of wind driven fires, suggesting that wind speeds are getting higher.

From the article:

"Historically, the state’s largest and most destructive fires have been wind-driven, Mints noted: “Here in Maine, wind is our…

Excerpts:

AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate on Thursday night voted down a bill to form a consumer-owned utility to buy the assets of Central Maine Power and Versant Power, reversing the results of initial Senate action and considerably dimming the bill’s chances of passing the Legislature this session.

The measure passed the Senate a day earlier on a preliminary vote of 19-16, but it failed by a single vote on final enactment, 17-18. There was no debate in the Senate chamber…

How much worse than acknowledged are the bird and bat kills by wind turbines?

EXCERPTS:

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 14, 2021

“Which source of mortality kills more or less birds is somewhat irrelevant…. the threat posed by wind turbines grows with each facility constructed in a high-risk area for birds.”

– Joel Merriman, American Bird Conservancy

The “avian mortality problem” has long been an issue for industrial wind turbines, as…

EXCERPTS:

By Maureen Milliken

Plans for a $235 million wind farm in Washington County, in the works since 2013, are before the Maine Land Use Planning Commission for review, a final step before construction can begin.

The state Department of Environmental Protection passed the Apex Clean Energy project on to the commission for review last month after DEP determined the wind farm is an allowed use under its guidelines. The LUPC is the planning authority for the…

EXCERPTS:

Maine could become the first state where lawmakers order 'divestment' from fossil fuels, although changes to the bill could slow the process.

Divestment advocates hailed the bill’s passage as a landmark moment that helps put Maine at the forefront (at least among state governments) of an international campaign that they say has solid ethical and financial footing. Youth climate activists, environmental groups and state retirees led the fight for the…

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 8, 2021

EXCERPT:

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Mark Mills brought to light the fact that the International Energy Agency (IEA), generally regarded as the world’s most important source for energy information, recently released a 287-page report entitled, The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions.  

Here are some highlights and lowlights from that IEA report. 

• Transitioning from…