Two Northern Maine lawmakers who support the King Pine Wind Project
Aroostook lawmakers back study that could further slow massive wind project
February 23, 2024 Bangor Daily News
Aroostook lawmakers back study that could further slow massive wind...
The top Aroostook County lawmakers who have championed a stalled transmission line linking a massive wind farm to the regional grid are backing a study that could further slow the project.
The early stages of connecting the King Pine Wind Project in Aroostook County to the grid hit several snags last year, culminating in the Maine Public Utilities Commission killing the transmission line plans in December, citing cost uncertainties.
The project was also hampered by opposition in the central Maine communities that the line would cross. Their allies in the Legislature are pushing for a pause in the project so the state can study its options before putting it back out to bid. Some of the transmission line’s most ardent supporters are also behind it, although the company seeking to build the wind farm is against it.
“If we really want this to work and serve our future needs, involving as many people as possible will allow for greater transparency and acceptance by a majority of Mainers,” Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle, who has backed the project, said of the measure.
The bill proposing a new feasibility study would direct the PUC to contract with an independent engineering firm to study what new infrastructure development is necessary to complete the proposed electric transmission line, among other issues.
It is sponsored by Rep. Scott Cyrway, R-Albion, but Stewart and Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, are also backing it. The two Senate leaders have also suggested exploring additional options to speed the project along, like building underground transmission lines and removing firm requirements on transmission line technology to get the project going quicker.
Last February, the utilities commission selected New York-based LS Power and Long Road Energy’s King Pine Wind Project for the Aroostook Renewable Gateway. The decision to proceed came after Massachusetts agreed to pay for 40 percent of the project.
In June 2023, the legislature approved the LS Power transmission lines without a specified route and Gov. Janet Mills signed it into law. Prior to the votes, lawmakers opposed to the plan and members of communities affected by the line criticized the Legislature for voting without a clear idea of where the line would go.
“The people of Maine have told us that they want our review of these projects and they want us to vote and make a decision,” Sen. Rick Bennett, R-Oxford, said at the time.
In late summer and early fall, LS Power talked with more than 700 landowners in local information sessions regarding the controversial proposed route.
The PUC’s decision to include Massachusetts in the agreement finalized with LS Power introduced new risks and delays that were beyond LS Power’s control, according to a January letter to the PUC from LS Power President Paul Thessen.
Thessen said his company was eager to work with the commission, but a failure to acknowledge those risks by the state would have been fatal for financing. That led to significant differences between LS Power, Longroad Energy, Central Maine Power, Versant Power, PUC staff and Massachusetts in developing a transmission agreement.
The study is opposed by Longroad. Chad Allen, the company’s director of development, told lawmakers this week that it may delay the project for more than two years. That could add uncertainty to the cost and reduce competition in the bid process, he said. But Stewart pitched it as a way to bring people together on a plan.
“The obvious problems of the transmission line are what we’re hoping to avoid in the future,” Stewart said.
Views: 20
Comment
-
Comment by Willem Post on February 28, 2024 at 12:47pm
-
Wow, it does not get much better than this.
.
The Washington, DC, perpetrators of these EV follies want to be re-elected to have power over you, to use more of your money, to do more of the same follies, “for as long as it takes”, while they debilitate the US with open borders and over-top-war mongering
.
All that is even more true, because the EV charging stations are unreliable, often are out of service, and to top it of, EVs are unreliable, have high repair bills, and have poor range in cold weather, especially when having more than one passenger, and some cargo, and going uphill, on cold, snowy days, as in New England, etc.
.
Currently, the vast majority of charging infrastructure is concentrated in more densely populated coastal areas, as opposed to more rural areas of the country, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).
.
Almost all people in rural areas, often with dirt roads, and snow and ice and cold, and longer distances, are definitely not giving up their pick-ups and SUVs to “switch to EVs”, especially in impoverished states, such as Maine and Vermont. Their Socialist governments lost all sense of reality, and think money grows on trees..
Hertz has an EV fleet, and sold most of it at very low prices, because nobody wanted to rent them.
Nowadays, most EVs are bought under a lease, by upper class folks, because they make too much money to qualify for the EV tax credit
I read a lot of great comments.
We have to vote Trump in by a landslide, so all these idiotic self-serving politicians get wiped out all over the country, and out of the Congress, so Trump can unto the Biden damage, especially at the border, because every illegal is a Democrat vote.
DEPORT ALL THE ILLEGALS, INCLUDING ILLEGAL CRIMINALS
.
Wow, it does not get much better than this.
.
The Washington, DC, perpetrators of these EV follies want to be re-elected to have power over you, to use more of your money, to do more of the same follies, “for as long as it takes”, while they debilitate the US with open borders and over-top-war mongering
.
All that is even more true, because the EV charging stations are unreliable, often are out of service, and to top it of, EVs are unreliable, have high repair bills, and have poor range in cold weather, especially when having more than one passenger, and some cargo, and going uphill, on cold, snowy days, as in New England, etc.
.
Currently, the vast majority of charging infrastructure is concentrated in more densely populated coastal areas, as opposed to more rural areas of the country, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).
.
Almost all people in rural areas, often with dirt roads, and snow and ice and cold, and longer distances, are definitely not giving up their pick-ups and SUVs to “switch to EVs”, especially in impoverished states, such as Maine and Vermont. Their Socialist governments lost all sense of reality, and think money grows on trees.Insurance Costs Very High: Because EVs are much more costly to repair, EV insurance rates are about 3 times the rate of gasoline vehicles, completely wiping out any energy savings.
.
Monthly Payments Very High: Because EVs are more expensive and interest rates are high, monthly payments are much higher than for gasoline cars, completely wiping out any benefits of tax credit subsidies.
.
Useful Service Life Very Short: EV useful service lives are very short, usually at most 8 years.
No one in his/her right mind, would spend at least $15,000 to $20,000 to replace a battery in an 8-y-old EV, which by then. would have lost almost all of its value, unlike a gasoline vehicle.
.
Charging Cost Very High: EV charging cost is very high on the road, usually at least 30 c/kWh, at home at least 20 c/kWh in New England
As a result, annual fuel cost savings are minimal, because EVs are driven fewer miles per year than gasoline cars, and the price of gasoline is about $3.20/gallon
.
Minimal CO2 Reduction: EVs driven, on average, about 72,000 miles for 8 years, according to various studies, do not reduce CO2 emissions compared to efficient gasoline vehicles driven the same miles, if CO2 evaluations are made on a mine to hazardous-waste landfill basis, and same-mile basis.
The useful service lives of gasoline cars is much longer than of EVs.
.
Range Usually Much Less Than Advertised: EV owners experience much less range than advertised by EPA, especially with one or more passengers, with some luggage or a heavy load, cold weather, up and down hills, on wet/snowy dirt roads, hot weather, etc.
Teslas EVs, driven 75,000 to 80,000 miles, will have lost about 15 to 20% of battery capacity at end of year 8.
If traveling with one or more passengers, with some luggage, was a challenge on a longer trip, and even more of a challenge on a cold/snowy day, then an older EV, with an aging battery, has all that, and more, which is a good reason not to buy one.
.
Battery Aging a Serious Issue: If a new EV, it takes about 1.15 kWh to add a 1.0 kWh charge in the battery, plus, there is a loss of about 5% to get 1.0 kWh out of the battery to the drive train of the EV, etc.
If a 5-y-old EV, it takes about 1.25 kWh to add 1.0 kWh charge in the battery, plus there is a loss of about 5.5% to get 1.0 kWh out of the battery
The older the EV, the greater the losses, plus the battery has lost capacity, the ability to do work and go the distance; all that is worse on a cold day, or hot day, heavy loads, and other adverse conditions.
.
Charging Batteries at Less than 32 F: If an EV owner parks at an airport, goes away for a few days or a week, upon return he/she may find the EV with an empty battery (if the battery had a somewhat low charge to begin with), if during that week the weather were below freezing, because the battery thermal management system, BTMS, will maintain battery temperature, until the battery is empty, then the battery freezes to 32F, or less.
Charging would not be allowed, until the battery is warmed up in a garage.
In the future, with thousands of EVs at the airport, a percentage would have empty batteries. You would have to wait your turn to get a tow to the warm garage, get charged, pay up to $500, and be on your way, after 8 hours or so!!
.
Losing Value After 3 Years: Used EVs retain about 60% of their high original value, whereas gasoline vehicles retain at least 70% of their not so high original value, by the end of year 3.
Losing 40% of a $45,000 EV = $18,000
Losing 30% of an equivalent size, $35,000 gasoline vehicle = $10,500
The loss difference wipes out any tax credit subsidies.
.
LEGISLATOR’s CHEVY BOLT CATCHES FIRE WHILE CHARGING ON DRIVEWAY IN VERMONT
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/chevy-bolt-catches-fir...
-
Comment by Thinklike A. Mountain on February 27, 2024 at 11:44am
-
Green Billionaires Press Hollywood to Promote Armageddon Climate Messages in Movies
https://dailysceptic.org/2024/02/27/green-billionaires-press-hollyw...
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/
Not yet a member?
Sign up today and lend your voice and presence to the steadily rising tide that will soon sweep the scourge of useless and wretched turbines from our beloved Maine countryside. For many of us, our little pieces of paradise have been hard won. Did the carpetbaggers think they could simply steal them from us?
We have the facts on our side. We have the truth on our side. All we need now is YOU.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
-- Mahatma Gandhi
"It's not whether you get knocked down: it's whether you get up."
Vince Lombardi
Task Force membership is free. Please sign up today!
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/
© 2024 Created by Webmaster.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine to add comments!
Join Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine