PUC releases confidential transcript in wind energy case - Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting
PUC releases confidential transcript in wind energy case
A proposal for a joint venture that would undertake major construction of wind towers across the state and region has encountered more regulatory complications, a week after reports were published that state officials recommended the proposal be turned down.
The state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) was set to decide on Jan. 31 whether the proposal by First Wind, Emera Inc. (the Nova Scotia-based parent company of Bangor Hydro and Maine Public Service) and Ontario-based Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. could move ahead. But that meeting has been indefinitely postponed while attorneys for the deal’s proponents and opponents wrestle over actions taken by First Wind and Bangor Hydro over the last week.
A confidential and contentious meeting between PUC staff and lawyers for the parties in the case was held on January 25. A transcript of that meeting was released by the PUC on Monday, January 30. The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting is linking to the transcript as a public service for those who are interested in this issue. To read the document, click here. To see the order issued by PUC staff in response to requests made at the confidential meeting, click here.
http://pinetreewatchdog.org/2012/01/31/puc-releases-confidential-tr...
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Comment by Gary Campbell on February 2, 2012 at 1:32pm
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To see the online file of documents go to:
http://mpuc.informe.org/easyfile/easyweb.php?func=easyweb_query
Enter Case ID: 2011170
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Comment by Long Islander on February 2, 2012 at 1:07pm
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And meanwhile in Duxbury, Mass....
Town turns off wind, opts for solar energy
Officials conclude turbine project not cost-effective
By Robert KnoxGlobe Correspondent / February 2, 2012
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And meanwhile in Spain...
Clouds gather over Spain's renewables sector as aid cutMADRID — Spain's push to become a world leader in renewable energy risks collapsing after the government slammed the brakes on generous subsidies as part of an austerity drive.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government passed a decree on Friday to "temporarily suspend" subsidies for all new wind, solar, co-generation or waste incineration plants as it seeks to curb the public deficit.
The measure will save at least 160 million euros ($210 million) this year, for which the government has received subsidy requests for projects to install 500 megawatts of new capacity, Industry Minister Jose Manuel Soria said.
But industry leaders say the halt to the subsidies, combined with uncertainty over how long the suspension will last, will deflate investor interest in what was once one of Spain's most dynamic sectors.
"This decision is one of the biggest blows ever to the sector," said the head of lobby group Fundacion Renovables, Javier Breva.
"Who is going to invest in the renewable energy sector after this decree?"
The subsidies introduced by the previous Socialist government, which pushed renewable energy as a new source of economic growth and jobs, fueled the development of wind parks and solar power stations across the country.
In 2008 Spain accounted for half the world's new solar power installations in terms of wattage thanks to the subsidies designed to help get the young sector up and running.
The boom in renewables helped several Spanish firms to become global leaders in the sector.
Power giant Iberdrola is the world's biggest producer of clean energy while Gamesa is one of the world's top wind turbine makers.
But the previous Socialist government...
More at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jSXzVAOcOfXPpYoY...
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Meanwhile, in Wisconsin...
State Regulators Defend Renewable Energy Cuts
Businesses Around State Criticize Cuts
Posted: 5:15 pm CST February 1, 2012
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin regulators are defending a decision to cut renewable energy funding from a popular utilities program despite criticism from businesses around the state.Text Size
Public Service Commission spokeswoman Kristin Ruesch said a Focus on Energy program geared toward renewable energy was over budget and not cost effective. The program offers incentives to businesses and residents to install renewable energy systems.
About 150 Wisconsin renewable energy supporters signed an open letter to the PSC on Monday criticizing them for not clearly saying when funding may be restored. But a PSC response sent Wednesday now said it will have an estimate by the end of March.
Critics said the program's suspension is damaging the state's renewable energy marketplace.
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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