BDN: Maine House advances bill to give Unorganized Territory more say in wind development

House advances bill to give Unorganized Territory more say in wind development

By Mario Moretto, BDN Staff
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Posted March 31, 2014, at 7:24 p.m.

EXCERPT:

The bill would allow a majority of voting residents from any Unorganized Territory to petition the Land Use Planning Commission to have their township or plantation removed from the expedited permitting area. If the commission grants their request, any wind developer would have to go through a rezoning process with the commission, in addition to the Department of Environmental Protection permitting process already required.

The law would give residents two years to file such petitions.

Advocates for the bill, LD 616, said the measure is an effort to restore democratic principles for residents of the Unorganized Territory in the expedited permitting zone.

http://bangordailynews.com/2014/03/31/politics/house-advances-bill-...

How each representative voted is detailed below.

http://www.mainelegislature.org/LawMakerWeb/rollcall.asp?ID=2800471...

"An Act To Amend the Expedited Permitting Area for Wind Energy Development under the Jurisdiction of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission"

Sponsored by Representative Larry Dunphy

Reference Committee Energy, Utilities and Technology
Last House Action 3/31/2014 -  Speaker laid before the House
Subsequently, the Minority Ought Not to Pass Report FAILED.
ROLL CALL NO. 598
(Yeas 48 - Nays 89 - Absent 14 - Excused 0)
Subsequently, on motion of Representative HOBBINS of Saco, the Majority Ought to Pass as Amended Report was ACCEPTED.
The Bill was READ ONCE.
Committee Amendment "C" (H-638) was READ and ADOPTED.
Under suspension of the rules, the Bill was given its SECOND READING without REFERENCE to the Committee on Bills in the Second Reading.
The Bill was PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "C" (H-638).
Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

State of Maine Legislature

Rollcall Details for House Roll-call #598
LD 616 (HP 435)		 Printer Friendly
Overview
  Date: March 31, 2014
  Motion: Acc Min Ought Not to Pass Rep
  Number of Yeas Required: 69 (simple majority)
  Outcome: FAILS
  Yeas (Y): 48
  Nays (N): 89
  Absent (X): 14
  Excused (E): 0

Member Party Vote
  AYOTTE of Caswell R X
  BEAUDOIN of Biddeford D N
  BEAULIEU of Auburn R N
  BEAVERS of South Berwick D N
  BECK of Waterville D Y
  BENNETT of Kennebunk R N
  BERRY of Bowdoinham D Y
  BLACK of Wilton R N
  BOLAND of Sanford D X
  BOLDUC of Auburn D N
  BRIGGS of Mexico D N
  BROOKS of Winterport U N
  CAMPBELL of Newfield U Y
  CAMPBELL of Orrington R N
  CAREY of Lewiston D Y
  CASAVANT of Biddeford D N
  CASSIDY of Lubec D N
  CHAPMAN of Brooksville D N
  CHASE of Wells R N
  CHENETTE of Saco D N
  CHIPMAN of Portland U Y
  CLARK of Easton R N
  COOPER of Yarmouth D N
  COTTA of China R N
  CRAFTS of Lisbon R N
  CRAY of Palmyra R N
  CROCKETT of Bethel R N
  DAUGHTRY of Brunswick D Y
  DAVIS of Sangerville R N
  DeCHANT of Bath D Y
  DEVIN of Newcastle D Y
  DICKERSON of Rockland D N
  DILL of Old Town D N
  DION of Portland D Y
  DOAK of Columbia Falls R N
  DORNEY of Norridgewock D Y
  DUNPHY of Embden R N
  DUPREY of Hampden R N
  ESPLING of New Gloucester R N
  EVANGELOS of Friendship U N
  EVES of North Berwick D Y
  FARNSWORTH of Portland D Y
  FITZPATRICK of Houlton R X
  FOWLE of Vassalboro D N
  FREDETTE of Newport R X
  FREY of Bangor D N
  GATTINE of Westbrook D Y
  GIDEON of Freeport D Y
  GIFFORD of Lincoln R N
  GILBERT of Jay D N
  GILLWAY of Searsport R N
  GOODE of Bangor D Y
  GRAHAM of North Yarmouth D Y
  GRANT of Gardiner D Y
  GUERIN of Glenburn R N
  HAMANN of South Portland D Y
  HARLOW of Portland D N
  HARVELL of Farmington R N
  HAYES of Buckfield D N
  HERBIG of Belfast D Y
  HICKMAN of Winthrop D N
  HOBBINS of Saco D Y
  HUBBELL of Bar Harbor D Y
  JACKSON of Oxford R N
  JOHNSON of Eddington R X
  JOHNSON of Greenville R N
  JONES of Freedom D N
  JORGENSEN of Portland D Y
  KAENRATH of South Portland D N
  KENT of Woolwich D N
  KESCHL of Belgrade R N
  KINNEY of Limington R N
  KNIGHT of Livermore Falls R N
  KORNFIELD of Bangor D N
  KRUGER of Thomaston D Y
  KUMIEGA of Deer Isle D Y
  KUSIAK of Fairfield D X
  LAJOIE of Lewiston D Y
  LIBBY of Waterboro R N
  LIBBY of Lewiston D Y
  LOCKMAN of Amherst R N
  LONG of Sherman R N
  LONGSTAFF of Waterville D Y
  LUCHINI of Ellsworth D Y
  MacDONALD of Old Orchard Beach R N
  MacDONALD of Boothbay D Y
  MAKER of Calais R N
  MALABY of Hancock R N
  MAREAN of Hollis R X
  MARKS of Pittston D Y
  MASON of Topsham D N
  MASTRACCIO of Sanford D Y
  McCABE of Skowhegan D Y
  McCLELLAN of Raymond R N
  McELWEE of Caribou R N
  McGOWAN of York D X
  McLEAN of Gorham D Y
  MONAGHAN-DERRIG of Cape Elizabeth D Y
  MOONEN of Portland D Y
  MORIARTY of Cumberland D Y
  MORRISON of South Portland D N
  NADEAU of Fort Kent R N
  NADEAU of Winslow D N
  NELSON of Falmouth D Y
  NEWENDYKE of Litchfield R N
  NOON of Sanford D X
  NUTTING of Oakland R N
  PARRY of Arundel R N
  PEASE of Morrill R X
  PEAVEY HASKELL of Milford R N
  PEOPLES of Westbrook D N
  PETERSON of Rumford D Y
  PLANTE of Berwick D Y
  POULIOT of Augusta R N
  POWERS of Naples D N
  PRIEST of Brunswick D Y
  PRINGLE of Windham D X
  RANKIN of Hiram D Y
  REED of Carmel R N
  ROCHELO of Biddeford D X
  ROTUNDO of Lewiston D Y
  RUSSELL of Portland D Y
  RYKERSON of Kittery D N
  SANBORN of Gorham D Y
  SANDERSON of Chelsea R N
  SAUCIER of Presque Isle D Y
  SAXTON of Harpswell D N
  SCHNECK of Bangor D N
  SHAW of Standish D Y
  SHORT of Pittsfield D N
  SIROCKI of Scarborough R N
  STANLEY of Medway D N
  STUCKEY of Portland D N
  THERIAULT of Madawaska D X
  TIMBERLAKE of Turner R N
  TIPPING-SPITZ of Orono D N
  TREAT of Hallowell D Y
  TURNER of Burlington R N
  TYLER of Windham R N
  VEROW of Brewer D N
  VILLA of Harrison D N
  VOLK of Scarborough R N
  WALLACE of Dexter R N
  WEAVER of York R N
  WELSH of Rockport D Y
  WERTS of Auburn D N
  WILLETTE of Mapleton R N
  WILSON of Augusta R X
  WINCHENBACH of Waldoboro R N
  WINSOR of Norway R N
  WOOD of Sabattus R N

Here's who was on our side:

Party Member For us (N)
D BEAUDOIN of Biddeford 1
BEAVERS of South Berwick 1
BOLDUC of Auburn 1
BRIGGS of Mexico 1
CASAVANT of Biddeford 1
CASSIDY of Lubec 1
CHAPMAN of Brooksville 1
CHENETTE of Saco 1
COOPER of Yarmouth 1
DICKERSON of Rockland 1
DILL of Old Town 1
FOWLE of Vassalboro 1
FREY of Bangor 1
GILBERT of Jay 1
HARLOW of Portland 1
HAYES of Buckfield 1
HICKMAN of Winthrop 1
JONES of Freedom 1
KAENRATH of South Portland 1
KENT of Woolwich 1
KORNFIELD of Bangor 1
MASON of Topsham 1
MORRISON of South Portland 1
NADEAU of Winslow 1
PEOPLES of Westbrook 1
POWERS of Naples 1
RYKERSON of Kittery 1
SAXTON of Harpswell 1
SCHNECK of Bangor 1
SHORT of Pittsfield 1
STANLEY of Medway 1
STUCKEY of Portland 1
TIPPING-SPITZ of Orono 1
VEROW of Brewer 1
VILLA of Harrison 1
WERTS of Auburn 1
D Total 36
R BEAULIEU of Auburn 1
BENNETT of Kennebunk 1
BLACK of Wilton 1
CAMPBELL of Orrington 1
CHASE of Wells 1
CLARK of Easton 1
COTTA of China 1
CRAFTS of Lisbon 1
CRAY of Palmyra 1
CROCKETT of Bethel 1
DAVIS of Sangerville 1
DOAK of Columbia Falls 1
DUNPHY of Embden 1
DUPREY of Hampden 1
ESPLING of New Gloucester 1
GIFFORD of Lincoln 1
GILLWAY of Searsport 1
GUERIN of Glenburn 1
HARVELL of Farmington 1
JACKSON of Oxford 1
JOHNSON of Greenville 1
KESCHL of Belgrade 1
KINNEY of Limington 1
KNIGHT of Livermore Falls 1
LIBBY of Waterboro 1
LOCKMAN of Amherst 1
LONG of Sherman 1
MacDONALD of Old Orchard Beach 1
MAKER of Calais 1
MALABY of Hancock 1
McCLELLAN of Raymond 1
McELWEE of Caribou 1
NADEAU of Fort Kent 1
NEWENDYKE of Litchfield 1
NUTTING of Oakland 1
PARRY of Arundel 1
PEAVEY HASKELL of Milford 1
POULIOT of Augusta 1
REED of Carmel 1
SANDERSON of Chelsea 1
SIROCKI of Scarborough 1
TIMBERLAKE of Turner 1
TURNER of Burlington 1
TYLER of Windham 1
VOLK of Scarborough 1
WALLACE of Dexter 1
WEAVER of York 1
WILLETTE of Mapleton 1
WINCHENBACH of Waldoboro 1
WINSOR of Norway 1
WOOD of Sabattus 1
R Total 51
U BROOKS of Winterport 1
EVANGELOS of Friendship 1
U Total 2
Grand Total 89

Here's who was Absent:

Party Member Absent
D BOLAND of Sanford 1
KUSIAK of Fairfield 1
McGOWAN of York 1
NOON of Sanford 1
PRINGLE of Windham 1
ROCHELO of Biddeford 1
THERIAULT of Madawaska 1
D Total 7
R AYOTTE of Caswell 1
FITZPATRICK of Houlton 1
FREDETTE of Newport 1
JOHNSON of Eddington 1
MAREAN of Hollis 1
PEASE of Morrill 1
WILSON of Augusta 1
R Total 7
Grand Total

14

Here's who voted against citizens' rights:

Party Member Against us (Y)
D BECK of Waterville 1
BERRY of Bowdoinham 1
CAREY of Lewiston 1
DAUGHTRY of Brunswick 1
DeCHANT of Bath 1
DEVIN of Newcastle 1
DION of Portland 1
DORNEY of Norridgewock 1
EVES of North Berwick 1
FARNSWORTH of Portland 1
GATTINE of Westbrook 1
GIDEON of Freeport 1
GOODE of Bangor 1
GRAHAM of North Yarmouth 1
GRANT of Gardiner 1
HAMANN of South Portland 1
HERBIG of Belfast 1
HOBBINS of Saco 1
HUBBELL of Bar Harbor 1
JORGENSEN of Portland 1
KRUGER of Thomaston 1
KUMIEGA of Deer Isle 1
LAJOIE of Lewiston 1
LIBBY of Lewiston 1
LONGSTAFF of Waterville 1
LUCHINI of Ellsworth 1
MacDONALD of Boothbay 1
MARKS of Pittston 1
MASTRACCIO of Sanford 1
McCABE of Skowhegan 1
McLEAN of Gorham 1
MONAGHAN-DERRIG of Cape Elizabeth 1
MOONEN of Portland 1
MORIARTY of Cumberland 1
NELSON of Falmouth 1
PETERSON of Rumford 1
PLANTE of Berwick 1
PRIEST of Brunswick 1
RANKIN of Hiram 1
ROTUNDO of Lewiston 1
RUSSELL of Portland 1
SANBORN of Gorham 1
SAUCIER of Presque Isle 1
SHAW of Standish 1
TREAT of Hallowell 1
WELSH of Rockport 1
D Total 46
U CAMPBELL of Newfield 1
CHIPMAN of Portland 1
U Total 2
Grand Total 48

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Comment by Martha thacker on April 1, 2014 at 7:58am

Mike Michaud's district is in UT.

Comment by Martha thacker on April 1, 2014 at 7:57am

Time for a third party in Maine. ...and some of the very intelligent people who read this site to run for office. If Mike Michaud is campaigning near any of us...go to the town halls and politely talk about the fact that the rights of people living in UT have been stripped.


Susan Collins has an ad on TV where she is talking about renewable energy and promising thousands of jobs. 

No hearing for Stetson II...permitted by LURC with no funds to build, much less dismantle.

Comment by Brad Blake on March 31, 2014 at 11:25pm

Disgusting reporting as usual by the BDN.  Here's a comment:

  • "Typical reporting by Maine media. A single short quotation by the bill's sponsor, Rep. Larry Dunphy, who has worked his heart out for his constituents in the unorganized territories to have fairness and equal treatment in participating in their affairs. Then on to Non-stop Know-it-all arrogant Mr. Payne, who needs a civic lesson as well as a trip to the woodshed. The constant drivel from Payne's mouth is constant re-hash of protect the unduly favored wind industry at all costs, including the rights of citizens.

    But worse is quoting the ditziest state rep. of all, Diane Russell, who worries that if citizens have rights it will stop wind turbines from being plastered all over Maine's beautiful uplands. What a friggin' hypocrite! She represents Munjoy Hill in Portland where: (a) when a proposal for a single wind turbine for up on windy (windier next to the ocean than on inland forested ridges) Munjoy Hill, it was shot down immediately by the same people who advocate for wind power in rural Maine; (b) she lives in the City of Portland, which has effectively banned any wind turbine over 100 ft. tall; and (c) she is part of the nattering bunch that scream & hollar about "it is too big--or tall", it is "out of scale" and "out of place" any time a developer proposes a building more than 100 ft tall in Maine's only true urban core, yet she happily supports 500 ft tall wind turbines built on blasted, leveled, and scalped upland ridges. Compounding her hypocrisy is being a Democrat, she should be all for citizens' rights and fight for the humble people who eek out a living in remote parts of Maine but she chooses to cry foul for the wind industry. She steadfastly refuses to even consider any facts other than the wind industry propaganda and is downright arrogant and insulting in dismissing anyone who does not agree with her and the wind industry.

    Come on, BDN. With all the good Legislators who understand the issue of LD 616, you had to quote an ignoramus? How about equal time in quoting spokespersons for the Citizens Task Force on Wind Power, or Friends of Maine's Mountains every time you run to Jeremy Payne for the predictable defense of the wind industry? Sheesh!"

Comment by Martha thacker on March 31, 2014 at 8:39pm

And not reelected. 'Ya think it should  be brought up during the campaigns?

Comment by arthur qwenk on March 31, 2014 at 2:06pm

The people who voted against Citizens Rights RE:LD-616 should be openly chastised  by all,  and flogged in the public media .

U.S. Sen Angus King

THE UNTOLD STORY OF RECORD HILL WIND

The Untold Story of Record Hill Wind, continued

 

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/

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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.

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 -- Mahatma Gandhi

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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/

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