Long Islander's Blog – November 2021 Archive (12)

We should replace profit-seeking utilities with a publicly managed nonprofit to meet climate goals.

By Matthew Cannon

Special to the Press Herald

Matthew Cannon is campaign and policy associate director for the Sierra Club Maine chapters.

The latest report from the…

The transmission line for NECEC was strongly opposed by NRCM. Will we see NRCM question this? Don't hold your breath. Remember, "All electrons are equal but some electrons are more equal than…

11/24/21

The developers of a 145-mile transmission line through the state agreed to suspend work but said that also means payments for benefits will be held back.

by Edward D. Murphy

EXCERPTS:

The developers of an electricity transmission corridor through western Maine who agreed to halt construction last week at the request of Gov. Janet…

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT, Associated Press

November 24, 2021 | 2:59 PM

The Biden administration approved an offshore wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island on Wednesday as part of a plan to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced it approved the construction and operations of the South Fork Wind project, the department’s second approval of a commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project in the United States.…

EXCERPTS:

BELGRADE — Residents at a special town meeting this week decided to extend by 180 days a ban on a range of developments in Belgrade, including solar and wind farms.

Tuesday’s vote was the second time a moratorium has been extended since it went into effect last November. It means applications for various permits, including for subdivisions and telecommunication installations, are not being accepted by the town.

The…

This story will be updated.

Most Central Maine Power Co. residential and business customers will have to pay 83 percent higher electricity bills in 2022, the result of rapidly escalating prices for the natural gas that powers New England’s energy grid, a state regulatory agency said Wednesday.

The sharp increase in the electricity supply rates, announced by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, resulted from the agency’s competitive bidding process…

Wind Energy:

French couple wins legal fight about turbines affecting their health

Will Wind & Solar confront its 10 challenges? If not, we need Nuclear, CCS, and more

Norway in legal quandary after wind turbines ruled a threat to reindeer herder rights

Maine Voters Reject Transmission Line, Blocking Renewable Energy Expansion

“Sad” News from Denmark about Industrial Wind Turbines

Wind Manufacturers Blown Off Course

Offshore wind builder tries to calm…

A member of the anti-Central Maine Power hydropower corridor coalition is taking a shot at higher office. While main CMP critic Tom Saviello is still teasing the idea of taking a shot at governorship, Caratunk select board member Liz Caruso has formally jumped into the Republican primary for the 2nd Congressional District race in the hopes of taking down U.S. Rep. Jared Golden. Caratunk was one of the first towns to rescind…

Experts say the expected increase is primarily a result of rising prices for natural gas. Maine's solar policies also could increase rates in the coming years.

EXCERPTS

A majority of Mainers could see the rate they pay for their home’s electricity supply jump between 60 and 80 percent next year, based on assumptions provided to the Legislature by the state Public Utilities Commission, as well as wholesale prices observed by energy…

News coverage of Tuesday’s elections was dominated by Glenn Youngkin’s victory over incumbent Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia gubernatorial race. But when it comes to energy policy and climate action, the lopsided result of a referendum in Maine over a high-voltage transmission project proved yet again that land-use conflicts are the binding constraint on the expansion of renewables in the United States. The rejection of the…

Excerpts:

Ellsworth is the latest municipality to temporarily ban solar panel arrays, citing concerns about overdevelopment. Dixmont voted to temporarily halt permitting for commercial installations earlier this month, after discovering that there was no policy in place for what to do when solar panel arrays reached the end of their useful lives. Augusta did so in August.

Because solar panels often change ownership several times during their lifetime, Dixmont officials…