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 !!         

Passadumkeag final decision

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 by larry sherman on November 10, 2012 at 10:27am

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..........

Comment by Mike DiCenso on November 9, 2012 at 10:56pm

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...

Comment by Monique Aniel Thurston on November 9, 2012 at 4:50pm

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 .

       

Comment by Penny Melko on November 9, 2012 at 3:56pm

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.

Comment by Ellin Beltz on November 9, 2012 at 11:45am

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. 

Comment by larry sherman on November 9, 2012 at 11:41am

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.

 

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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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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