Tilting at Windmyths

Electrical energy produced by the wind.

It sounds magical. It sounds free. It sounds ‘green’.

For the past eight months, I have been reading reams of information about industrial wind and its impacts, both positive and negative. In order for Governor Baldacci to achieve his goal of 2,700 megawatts of land-based wind power by 2020, up to 360 miles of Maine’s pristine mountaintops will have to be developed. Three hundred and sixty miles! That is longer than the distance from the crown of Maine to Kittery in the far south. A series of projects with such huge implications for the state of Maine surely warranted looking into.

So… I read, and read, and read. And the facts opened my eyes. The negative impacts of mountaintop industrial wind—the ones we never hear about or think of-- are enormous; impacts to our ecosystems, our hydrology, our wildlife, our economy, and our citizens. There is much about this misguided plan to worry Mainers. In very simple terms, it does not work. It isn’t financially feasible, and is only attractive (and yes, possible) through massive tax-payer subsidies. The power produced will be more expensive, by far, than that of other energy sources. It is not needed—Maine already produces more power than we use. The footprint is extensive, and thousands upon thousands of acres of carbon sequestering trees and vegetation will be removed from the slopes and summits of our mountains. As well, hundreds of miles of new high-tension transmission corridors will need to be built through our state to accommodate this new source of power; power which will not be kept in the state of Maine. Vital wildlife habitat will be fragmented and destroyed. Animals and humans alike can be affected by the high, low and ultra-low frequency noise produced by the turbines, and many will be affected by shadow flicker, as well. No, the meager positives do not come close to balancing against the immense negative impacts.

And yet, I believe wind power has a place in Maine. I am not a scientist, nor an economist, but I envision some solutions to the current wind puzzle. The proposed development of Highland Plantation’s five mountains is said to have a price tag far in excess of 200 million dollars. Two hundred million dollars, a large portion of it coming from our pockets, will be spent on one single industrial wind development; a development which will surely lessen the quality of life for many, and which will do irreparable damage to mountains which are in the direct view-shed of the world-renowned Bigelow Preserve and the Appalachian Trail.

The common sense side of me asks questions. Why not invest that same money in individual or neighborhood-based wind mills? Windmills which are small and have little, if any, impact on our environment or on the quality of life for the animals and citizens in its vicinity? With American ingenuity, we could certainly build the facilities to manufacture these in large numbers, and we have a sizable segment of our population anxious to find good jobs. These individual power plants could result in thousands of homes being removed from the grid. Citizens’ electric bills would be lower or even non-existent, and if more power was produced than the homeowners used, it could be sold back to the public utility companies. For example (and I’ll try to use conservative numbers): If one home-sized model cost $20,000.00, then 10,000 individual windmills could be established state-wide for the same amount of money as the Highland industrial wind project will incur. Think of the jobs created; from manufacturing, to set-up, to electrical and maintenance! Think of the money saved on power bills! When you think of home-sized windmills, the power does seem free, and much, much ‘greener’.

Of course, all is not as simple as it seems, or as it should be. Utility companies, developers and industrial turbine manufacturers have a lot of power, influence and money. Such a common-sense plan could spell financial disaster for them, and so they will fight it tooth and nail. They’ll lobby the Legislature. They’ll throw some more money at people and businesses which are financially distressed, using state-sanctioned terms like ‘tangible benefits’ and ‘mitigation’ to decriminalize their bribery attempts. They’ll do whatever they can to stop such a logical plan.

However, this is America. This is STILL America! If WE, the PEOPLE, stand together and make our voices heard and our choices known, we can prevail. We can make rational decisions for our own energy future. In our free market, those powerful businesses have options. They can see a good opportunity and hop on board, or they can continue with their ill-advised plans and fall by the wayside when we make our desires known and insist on their implementation. We Maine citizens haven’t lost our power, yet. I fear that day is coming, if we don’t step up to the plate and begin to reassert our authority… but that day has not yet arrived. There is still time to prevent the permanent destruction of our mountain ridges and to save a quality of place and a quality of life.

I realize that my vision is a bit simplistic, but I think it deserves some serious consideration. Since I am NOT a scientist or an economist, I may be completely off-base, and I admit that. But I do know this: Mountaintop Industrial Wind is not the answer for Maine. As a steward of this land, I’m simply trying to help find a long-term solution which will save our natural resources, help reduce carbon emissions, create jobs and preserve the wonders of nature which we are so lucky to have at our back doors.

I hope you will become involved and be a part of the solution, too.

Respectfully Submitted,

Karen Bessey Pease

Lexington Twp., Maine

http://karenbesseypease.blogspot.com/