BOWERS WIND PROJECT DEFEATED!!
This morning the Maine Supreme Judicial Court issued its decision denying Champlain Wind LLC's appeal concerning a permit for its Bowers Wind Project in Carroll Plt and Kossuth Twp. Champlain Wind is a subsidiary of Maine's largest wind developer, First Wind. The decision marks the end of a six year process of hearings and appeals which pitted the wind developer against local residents, professional guides, traditional sporting camp owners and loyal visitors to Maine's famed Downeast Lakes Region. Spearheading the opposition was the Partnership for the Preservation of the Downeast Lakes Watershed (PPDLW).
The Court upheld the Board of Environmental Protection's (BEP's) conclusion that the project's sixteen turbines would have "an unreasonable adverse effect on the scenic character and existing uses related to the scenic character” of nine of the lakes which the State recognizes as "Scenic Resources of State or National Significance". The affected lakes include West Grand, Junior, Scraggly, Shaw, Pleasant, Bottle, Keg, Sysladobsis and Pug Lakes.
Gary Campbell, President of PPDLW said "We are very excited and relieved to receive this decision. Making our case required the sustained efforts of hundreds of individuals, groups and businesses. This victory is a testament to all their hard work. Ever since the Wind Law was passed as emergency legislation in 2008, citizens have been struggling to protect Maine's greatest natural assets from industrial wind development. The Court even noted in its decision that the purpose of the Wind Law was to minimize or eliminate opposition to wind projects based on their visual impact. This makes industrial wind project virtually impossible to stop. In fact, Bowers is the first wind project to be defeated under the Wind Law. PPDLW is not anti-renewables, not even anti-wind, but the Bowers project was so poorly sited we could not allow it to be built. Wind has its place, but Bowers is not it!"
It's time to get the Governor and legislature to revisit the Wind Law. While the law has remained the same, turbines have grown to 550' in height and the most appropriate sites have been built. Left unchecked, as they are under the current Wind Law, wind developers will destroy evermore sensitive areas with taller and noisier turbines.
The Court's decision is available at: www.courts.maine.gov/opinions_orders/supreme/lawcourt/2015/15me156c...
Views: 1764
Comment
-
Comment by Monique Aniel Thurston on December 3, 2015 at 5:58pm
-
Juliet Brown , the Bane of every wind warrior who had to endure her arrogance ,her smugness,snideness, her feeling of total immunity supported by a fascist law has been defeated by regular citizens simply moved by the desire to protect the invaluable scenic value of Maine . So many people testified in person or by letter but i will never forget the brutal and surgical cross examination of David Corrigan, here is the link to the BDN article including a video ; http://bangordailynews.com/2011/07/06/news/penobscot/impact-on-wild...
-
Comment by Peter Beckford on December 3, 2015 at 5:53pm
-
Congrats PPDLW !! and wind warriors all over who educate and battle and love their places!! This is the first time the Maine Supremes have turned down the industry, is it not? Maybe they'll get the hang of it. Thanks you Downeast Lakes people!!
-
Comment by Whetstone_Willy on December 3, 2015 at 5:53pm
-
Air out the HINCK STINK in the Downeast Lakes.
-
Comment by Gary Campbell on December 3, 2015 at 5:36pm
-
How long do you suppose before Verrill Dana updates this page on their web site? They can no long claim they have consistently won their wind appeals.
-
Comment by Long Islander on December 3, 2015 at 5:30pm
-
Looks like Julet Browne will have to stop playing Bowers for Dollars.
Gary and all who helped, you didn't ask to be dealt this hand and you would have rather been fishing I'm sure. But you played it perfectly which resulted in one of the largest environmental achievements in the history of this state and one from which thousands will benefit immensely. You will always know that when duty called, you did the right thing.Should we take a up a collection for First Wind? First Wind and their coterie of leeches and idiots are the only ones ruing the decision. Except for maybe the fish.
-
-
Congrats to Gary Campbell and all wind warriors ,to all the wind warriors, from day one , that have worked to defeat this useless and damaging project. Now on to defeat the majority of the useless and damaging projects throughout Maine!
On to defeat and make useless PL-661 (The Heinous Wind Law of 2008), that for too long and for too many, has damaged the soul of this fine state.
There is now legal precedence to test every project in the State of Maine on legal grounds, that has damaged people , property and environment in Maine .
BTW, SCREW YOU Juliot!
-
-
Maybe some day, I can find a nice place to live, in that turbine-free area! ;-) Great to know there will be some rural places saved!!
-
-
Congratulations! That is incredibly wonderful news!!!
-
-
Thank You Gary Campbell and PPDLW , you have saved not only Bowers Mountain but also a piece of the souls of all Maine wind warriors by beating those mecreants bent on destroying that beautiful state called Maine . It is heartwarming to see that the process of justice has followed its due course .
-
-
Woo-Hoo!!! Three cheers for the good guys!!! FANTASTIC NEWS!!! Way to go folks!!!
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next ›
Maine as Third World Country:
CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power
Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.
Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT
******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********
(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/
Not yet a member?
Sign up today and lend your voice and presence to the steadily rising tide that will soon sweep the scourge of useless and wretched turbines from our beloved Maine countryside. For many of us, our little pieces of paradise have been hard won. Did the carpetbaggers think they could simply steal them from us?
We have the facts on our side. We have the truth on our side. All we need now is YOU.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
-- Mahatma Gandhi
"It's not whether you get knocked down: it's whether you get up."
Vince Lombardi
Task Force membership is free. Please sign up today!
Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law
Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future
"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."
https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/
© 2025 Created by Webmaster.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine to add comments!
Join Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine