The lemmings hit the surf at Fed/state ocean wind meeting in Augusta 11/16/10. Notes & audio.
The most important info to come out of the meeting:
1. According to the presentation by Matt Nixon of State Planning office, his preliminary review of data on commercial & recreational fishing, shipping and wildlife use of the Gulf of Maine has elevated one location east of the northern half of Jeffrey's Ledge; one between Fippennies Bank and Cashes Ledge; one between Platts Bank and the Harris Ground, and a fourth between the Bounties and the Clay Bank. Nixon says nothing is final yet, more study needed.
2. According to Dan Prichard of the Department of Conservation Ocean Energy project at least three companies have written his Bureau expressing interest in building and operating ocean windmills in federal waters off Maine. Prichard explained this in answer to questions from Ron Huber at the end of the meeting. He would not identify the companies, because the negotiations are ongoing. Listen in Part 17 of the recordings below.
3.Huber noted that the New England Fishery Management Council has
opted not to get involved in reviewing ocean windpower developments,
and proposes to leave it all up to the National Marine Fisheries S..... He questioned whether NMFS was able to take on this added responsibility orf representing the fishermen before other federal agencies. (No response) Huber also asked the state to include impacts that ocean windmills could have on ocean currents, as recent scientific studies has shown takes place.
4. The state may sign a "Letter of Intent to Coordinate Review and Approval Processes"(pdf) with the federal government. This would further streamline (i.e.weaken) local government and citizen oversight of ocean windpower decisions. Listen to Karin Tilberg, Baldacci's outgoing Sr Policy Advisor on energy, explain in Parts 14 and 15 of the audio recordings below.
5. Dr Rebecca Holburton, University of Maine ornithologist explains in recording # 16 how more birds than ever, including songbirds, are using the coastal waters as migratory corridor, instead of travelling over developed New England land. Holburton who is part of the DeepCwind Consortium project also warned that the lack of licensing standards allows anyone, regardless of their level of training, to market themselves as professional "environmental consultants", hire-able by wind power companies or other developers to produce reports describing the environmental impact of their windfarm proposal. Holburton said the accuracy of many of the reports generated by such businesses is of inferior quality, cannot pass peer review, and should not be relied upon alone when making a permitting decision.
MEETING AUDIO. (mp3s)
1 Introduction 7 minutes
2 General introductions. 5 Minutes
3 Introduction by Karin Tilberg 5 minutes
4. Introduction by Maureen Bornholdt 3 minutes
5.
Aditi Mirani, Boemre 4 minutes
6. Matt Nixon Me State Planning Office on "Maps &
Gaps" 24 minutes
7 Deirdre Gilbert with Island Institute slides 7 minutes
8. DMR Commissioner George LaPointe 1 minute
9. Matt
Nixon on Recreational Fisheries 1 minute.
10. Matt Nixon on commercial vessel traffic maps 5 minutes
11. Nixon on "Non-Consumptive" resources, incl viewshed 6
minutes
12. Nixon summarizes data gaps and needs 9 minutes
13.*
Karin Tilberg summarizes GIS data value. 3 minutes
14. Karin Tilbert on Federal Letter of Intent to Coordinate Review and ...
15. Karin Tilberg takes questions on Federal Letter changes and does wr...
16. Professor Rebecca Holberton, University of Maine ornithologist. 8 m...
17 Ron Huber, Penobscot Bay Watch, on RFI respondents and water curren...
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Comment
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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