By: NAOMI SCHALIT, SENIOR REPORTER ©MAINE CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEREST REPORTING | February 19, 2014

Part one of a two-part series, "The TIF Game"

Get a TIF, and you, too, have to pay taxes on that new warehouse or factory – but the taxes don’t help pay for the schools, plowing and cops.

Instead, the property taxes paid by a company with a TIF…

A U.S. judge denied a request by shareholders of SunEdison for an official committee to represent them in the bankruptcy of the U.S. renewable power plant developer, which the judge described as “hopelessly insolvent.”

http://fortune.com/2016/08/12/sunedison-shareholders-denied-official-role-in-bankruptcy/

This article talks about the growth of "public demand for clean energy". What a complete crock that is. Horrible biased reporting. The people of southern New England states don't demand "clean" energy. Rather, their legislators (many …

In light of the Spruce Mountain  "expansion creep" possibly being discussed at the Bethel Inn tomorrow, I'm re-posting the following expansiion creep post having to do with Record Hill. I'm not sure of the status but am throwing it out there.

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UPDATE Nov 9, 2015 - Wind power project presented to Roxbury residents

Apparently there was just…

Residents seek info on wind power project

According to a resident on Bryant Mountain in Milton, seeing wind turbines when he looks across to Chamberlain Mountain is going to be an ugly sight.…

See Alice McKay's email below. Please take even five minutes and write something yourself if you have not already done so.

The email address for Mark Margerum at the DEP is: mark.t.margerum@maine.gov

A description of what they are taking comments on is here:…

The emailing deadline for comments to the DEP is 5PM tomorrow (Monday, 8/8/16). If you haven't gotten something in please do so. This is your chance to impact the rules that will affect you. Please act now.

To Read the comments that FMM has submitted, CLICK…

• SCENIC CHARACTER,
• SHADOW FLICKER,
• PUBLIC SAFETY,
• TANGIBLE BENEFITS   and
• DECOMMISSIONING

Gary is the man who led the successful fight against First Wind/Sun Edision…

Please see the comments below from Alice McKay Barnett, Gary Campbell and Penny Gray.

Residents seek info on wind power project

..... “Also,” she said, “there are often economic benefits to the surrounding towns. There are payments to gas stations, stores and motels. There's a pretty significant indirect benefit to the uninvolved surrounding communities.”.......The Maine Land Use Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, at the…

Comment deadline: August 8, 2016

Please send comments in writing to Mark Margerum at:

Email: mark.t.margerum@maine.gov

Maine Department of Environmental Protection

17 State House Station

Augusta, ME 04333-0017

Phone: 207-287-7842

Fax: 207-287-7191

Opportunity for Comment

Pre-rulemaking…

....It's about the equivalent of raising the Maine sales tax by a penny. Our Capacity Payments will increase even more the following year (2018) to $4 billion. $4 billion amounts to more than one half of the entire New England energy market value! A few years ago, capacity payments were just one tenth of the energy market value. That’s our money, and it’s being extracted from our economy, and it’s going up in smoke as we continue to build redundant, unnecessary, and useless electricity…

Note some of the familiar names listed below. These links are clickable.

Bids were supposed to be approved by July 26, but as previously noted, the decision process has been delayed.

The overall link to this page is:

https://cleanenergyrfp.com/archived-documents-and-public-comments-2/

Archived…

Massachusetts Legislature passes renewable energy bill

"Today is a celebration for the Massachusetts Legislature," Golden said. "We are poised with your vote today to pass and authorize the largest procurement of renewable energy in the history of the commonwealth of Massachusetts."

The bill would also require Massachusetts to solicit long-term contracts…

Importantly, with respect to scenic impacts, the proposed rule would allow DEP to apply traditional Site Law standards to a proposed wind power project if DEP determines the project “may result in unreasonable adverse effects.” 

Click …

The price that electric consumers in Maine and New England pay to make sure there’s enough power to meet future demand will more than double next June and more than triple in June 2018, before easing in 2019..............Tim Schneider, Maine’s Public Advocate, said that consumers need to recognize that the entire country is making a transition from one fleet of power generators to another, and there’s a cost associated with…

One is left to wonder as to why so many different groups, some of them so called "environmental" are all based at the same office suite in Boston. And this may only be a partial list. Are they commonly funded and if so, who is behind them?

Three Supposedly Separate Groups With Same Boston Address Criticize Natural Gas (BDN)

"Natural gas should not be part of the country’s clean energy future…

Gov. Paul LePage is absolutely correct that gasoline blended with 15 percent or more ethanol is bad for the consumer and the environment, contrary to what Rick Santorum had to say in his July 18 OpEd.

In my opinion, the most important issue is that it ruins fuel systems and actually corrodes carburetors and fuel injectors. It eats seals and gaskets and is particularly detrimental to small two-cycle motors. The ethanol makes them almost unusable after only a year or two.

The…

Note that Pierce Atwood is offering to assist (the wind industry presumably in drafting comments and that comments are due August 8. Please be sure to read this and pass it on to all you know. We need to submit every comment we can.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has announced that it is developing a new Site Law rule that will address certain development standards for wind projects. The standards…

Beliveau said the battle isn’t over -- “You’ve made a choice, and it’s unfortunate,” he told selectmen. Representing EDP Renewables, attorney Mark E. Beliveau, a partner at Pierce Atwood LLP in Portsmouth, told the selectmen........

http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140716/NEWS05/140719204