Dudley Gray: So-called alternative energy has not delivered results for Maine

Since 2018 residential supply rates have more than doubled from 7.85 to 17.63 cents per kilowatt hour. During the same period many solar panels and wind turbines have been installed, supposedly to save Maine ratepayers costs and improve the environment. Neither has occurred. We can thank the Legislature for breaking up our two utilities at the behest of former Govs. King and Baldacci for the expedited wind law. Now Gov. Janet Mills wants to continue the damage with offshore wind. Instead of approving a potentially $13.5 billion bond issue creating a self-serving public boondoggle, Pine Tree Power, let’s buy every power dam sold since 1999. Wall Street investment geniuses can repackage the entity and pay Maine back plus a profit. Also, when the New England Clean Energy Connect wins their court case, let’s string a more power lines for Maine and require Massachusetts to pay for that as well. This would eliminate the need to wreck Aroostook County with power lines, windmills and solar panels. These so-called alternative energy policies were sold to us as valid energy saving and environmental saviors, but they have failed miserably.

~ Dudley Gray, Rangeley Plantation

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/03/11/opinion/letters/letter-s...

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Comment by Dudley G. Gray on March 16, 2023 at 7:03am

The BDN mistakenly printed my piece on 03/11 and 03/13 and edited it as follows:

MY Title- "more electricity price Pain"

BDN Title  Alternatives failed us

Para 1. I wrote-"100's of thousands of solar panels and 1000 or more wind turbines have been installed"

edited: too many solar panels and wind turbines have been installed

Para2  BDN deleted entirely

I wrote "our public advocate,Mr. Harwood responded to this writer by blaming high natural gas  prices.Well,from a one month high of $8.41 per million BTU last August to the present March price of $2.45 should it not follow that the current price decline would announce an imminent supply price reduction to be reflected in our bills ?  I'm patiently waiting."

Para3 I wrote" creating a self service public boondoggle"

edited to What I think will be a self serving public boondoggle

Para 4. I Wrote "overturning the referendum"

edited:  overturning the referendum, as I expect

This is so typical of  BDN. Convert any opposing point of view to their agenda, turn mine into Milquetoast then run it

Dudley Gray. Rangeley Plantation

Comment by Penny Gray on March 15, 2023 at 12:33pm

Excellent opinion letter, Dudley Gray.  Thank you!

Comment by Dan McKay on March 13, 2023 at 5:50am

How bad is it ?

Maine's carbon tax from 1-1-2018 to 1-1-2021 (3 years) = $30,958,534

Maine's carbon tax from 1-1-2021 to 1-1-2023 (2 years) = $46,854,799

This money, paid by Maine ratepayers goes directly to Efficiency Maine Trust, an agency created by legislation with promises of 1. energy savings, 2. price reductions and 3. less emissions   FAIL, FAIL, FAIL

Maine people have paid $176,031,057 to reduce carbon emissions since this tax was created in 2009.

Maines' fossil fuel generation plant output has increased 108% since 2019.

No transparency from the Public Advocate, the Maine PUC or legislative documents. 

Efficiency Maine Trust spins a narrative of falsehoods and takes in ratepayer money to make even more money from other programs. 

We are underwriting this failure with our money. 

 

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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