SENATE PRESIDENT ALFOND'S ATTACK ON GOVERNOR LEPAGE'S WIND POLICIES REVISITED

In  the following  link is Senator Alfond's  critical piece on Governor Lepage and Statoil's decision  to  leave Maine: 
 
Senator Alfond's Op-Ed piece should be falling on deaf ears.  The Senate President was on the losing end of a 173-13 vote, but won't let it die. Below is the chronology of events:
1.
On June 6 the Omnibus Energy Bill, LD 1559, after months of EUT Committee work which included the Governor, passed unanimously. The Governor had insisted at the Committee that StatOil's already-awarded by PUC contract was bad for Maine and he wanted UMO to have a shot at it.  The Committee rejected his wish but passed the bill.  It contained a safety net provision that would allow a second round of bids for the ongoing offshore demonstration project if StatOil were to cease its activity.  The bill specifically named UMO as eligible to bid in the event that StatOil might someday retreat: 


Sec. H-2. PL 2009, c. 615, Pt. A, §6 is amended by adding at the end a new paragraph to read:

If a supplier under a deep-water offshore wind energy pilot project elects not to go forward or does not proceed to construction under the terms of a contract or other terms approved by the commission by order for any reason, including that the supplier does not receive necessary federal funding or financing, the commission may consider additional proposals for a deep-water offshore energy pilot project that can be funded within funding limitations under this section. To consider additional proposals, the commission shall conduct a 2nd round of solicitation of competitive proposals. The commission may approve additional projects that are contingent on previously approved projects not proceeding to construction within the approved time frames or deadlines. The University of Maine's deep-water offshore wind energy pilot project must be considered a deep- water offshore wind energy pilot project under this section. The commission shall make all reasonable efforts to complete its review and make decisions on additional proposals under this section by December 31, 2013.
2.
On June 19 the Governor issued a veto message for the Omnibus Energy Bill, stating that he had a deal with the Democrats on the Committee to include UMO in the offshore bidding process.  The Legislature overrode his veto and the Omnibus Energy Bill became law without his signature.  See his veto message here. 
3. 
On June 26 an amended version of LD 1472 passed.  The bill was sponsored by Representative Chuck Kruger (D-Thomaston).  Its original approach was like the approach in the Omnibus Energy Bill, but as amended, it went further:  rather than wait to see if StatOil would pull out, it expressly ordered the PUC to conduct a second round of bids before September, 2013. This was the approach favored by the Governor.  Senator Alfond voted against the amended LD 1472, but it passed on a bipartisan 22-13 vote June 26. EUT Committee Chair Senator John Cleveland (D-Auburn) voted for it.  It is irregular for leadership or rank and file members to vote against a committee chair of the same party. It passed unanimously in the House. Only 13 of 186 lawmakers voted against it.    Here is the language: 
'Sec. 7. PL 2009, c. 615, Pt. A, §6 is amended by adding at the end a new paragraph to read:
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the commission shall conduct a 2nd competitive solicitation of proposals for projects under this section and may not award a contract for a proposal under this section until it completes its review of additional proposals under this paragraph, as long as any such additional proposals are received before September 1, 2013. The commission may approve additional projects including but not limited to a project that is contingent on other projects previously approved by the commission not proceeding to construction within the time requirements or deadlines set forth under the previous approval. All proposals received under this section must be evaluated using the same criteria. The University of Maine's deep-water offshore wind energy pilot project must be considered a deep-water offshore wind energy pilot project under this section. The commission shall make all reasonable efforts to complete its review of proposals under competitive solicitation conducted pursuant to this paragraph and make decisions on additional proposals by December 31, 2013. The commission shall make every effort to finalize a contract under this section.' 

http://www.pressherald.com/opinion/Maine_Voices__Please_write_an_on....

about the author

Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, is president of the Maine Senate.

PLEASE  SEE  LINK  ABOVE  FOR  FULL  ARTICLE

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Comment by Donna Amrita Davidge on October 29, 2013 at 3:22pm

comment made..boy this PPH is so biased these days! glad we can comment..MPBN interviewed me and Lynne about Oakfield today for some kind of a news feed I think..if anyone sees it let us know..

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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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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