PASSADUMKEAG WIND PROJECT DENIED BY THE DEP ON CUMULATIVE ADVERSE SCENIC IMPACT : A FIRST IN MAINE
IN THE SUMMER OF 2009 , STEVE THURSTON AND I MET WITH JAMES CASSEDA AND ANDREW FISKE, THEN DEP DECISION MAKERS FOR WIND PROJECTS , EXPOSING THE DEVASTATING SCENIC EFFECTS THE 22 RECORD HILL TURBINES WOULD HAVE ON THE SCENERY OF THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS .
CASSEDA TOLD US THAT LD 2283 PREVENTED THEM FOR USING THAT ARGUMENT AS RECORD HILL DID NOT FIT IN ANY EXCEPTION MADE FOR AREAS OF STATE OR NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE AS PER THE EXPEDITED WIND LAW.
WE TOLD HIM THAT WHEN OTHER PROJECTS WOULD COME , IN RUMFORD , CANTON , CARTHAGE OR DIXFIELD , THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF THOSE TURBINES WOULD BE DEVASTATING ON THE VIEWSHED OF THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS.
HE RESPONDED THAT THE DEP MUST EXAMINE PROJECT CASE BY CASE BUT THAT INDEED THIS MAY BECOME AN ANGLE TO CONSIDER WHEN SEVERAL PROJECTS ARE OPERATING IN A SIMILAR VIEWSHED .
IN MARCH 2012, AFTER A YEAR OF EFFORTS CONSECUTIVE TO THE 2011 LEGISLATIVE WIND WARRIORS LOBBYISM AIMED AT AMENDING LD2283, THE FINAL OEIS REPORT CALLED " MAINE WIND ASSESSMENT 2012" WAS PRODUCED AND AMONGST ITS MANY OBSERVATIONS, THE PROBLEMS WITH CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE PROJECTS WERE FINALLY BROUGHT TO LIGHT : PLEASE READ A SMALL EXCERPT OF THE OEIS REPORT ON THAT TOPIC :
"2. Cumulative Visual Impact
The potential cumulative visual impacts from multiple wind farms is an issue which has become a focus of attention and research within the past year. LURC and DEP understand cumulative visual impact as resulting from either of two circumstances: a concentration of turbines that dominate a particular landscape; or the dispersal of turbines throughout a landscape over a considerable distance" !!!
!!!! PASSADUMKEAG IS THE FIRST PROJECT DENIED AS A RESULT OF THOSE CONSIDERATIONS !!
EXCERPT :
The cumulative impact of the existing Rollins Project on Saponic Pond was a critical factor in the decision:
"The review of topographical maps and a staff visit to Saponic Pond showed that nine turbines from the Rollings Wind project, which is located in the towns of Lincoln, Burlington and Lee, are clearly visible from Saponic Pond. The applicant's proposed project would add another 14 turbines which would be visible, making a total of 23 turbines visible from most of Saponic Pond. This would result in a substantial increase in the portion of the panorama that would contain wind turbines as seen from a SRSNS. In the Wind Energy Act the Legislature considered an assessme of visual impacts. In this case Saponic Pond has already sustained an impact ot its scenic character from the construction of the Rollins Wind project nearby. The cumulative impact on the scenic character and the uses related to scenic character that would result from the addition of 14 turbines visible on the opposite side of the pond would be an unreasonable adverse impact given the nature and scenic qualities of Saponic Pond.
MONIQUE
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Comment
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Comment by larry sherman on November 10, 2012 at 10:27am
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Agree with Mike below. One giant 500 foot tall wind turbine overlooking a wilderness lake is one too many. Passadumkeag would of had a total of 23 turbines. Can you imagine FIFTY 500 foot tall wind turbines overlooking 2 of Maine's wilderness lakes? That's what is being proposed (and already permitted by DEP) for the Oakfield / Island Falls area! Protect our Lakes is appealing the decision to the Maine Supreme Court. Cumulative Visual Impact is a phrase worthy of repeating whenever possible..........
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Thanks and congratulations to the Passadumkeag Mountain Friends for their hard work. Since the Rollins turbines are visible from a pond with significant scenic quality they should be removed. Nine seen from the pond are nine too many. One project can have cumulative impacts since many turbines make up the total. Just a thought...
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Comment by Monique Aniel Thurston on November 9, 2012 at 4:50pm
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This victory rests on the shoulders of the " Passadumkeag Mountain Friends " and all the wind warriors who have labored relentlesly over the last few years in developing argumentations and vigorously engaging Maine DEP and LURC in order to protect Maine 's magnificent landscape against the assault of the wind industry .
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Checking in from the Tehachapi Pass... What heartening news and a huge congratulations on the big win for Saponic Pond. The testimony against greed energy must have been compelling for the project to be denied. Cudos for your efforts. You won.
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Comment by Ellin Beltz on November 9, 2012 at 11:45am
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This is really good news and establishes precedent !! Thank heavens influential people are beginning to see through the "wind energy.. green power..." game. Green is many things, not just a knee-jerk reaction that something sounding really good actually is any good for the environment when looked at from Total Ecosystem Cost and not just the bottom line of some multi-national corporation.
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Excellent Monique!
Sounds like the DEP is finally realizing that building thousands of wind turbines throughtout the forested ridges of Maine and overlooking scenic lakes is not a good idea for a state that prizes its natural beauty and tourism dollars! The Cumulative Impact statement written by the DEP could not be more clear.
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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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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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