It has no effect whatsoever on the amount of oil we import.
It has never replaced a single fossil fuel powered plant.
It will result in increases in our electricity bills.
Using the wind to generate electricity on an industrial scale is not yet cost effective. In fact, it is among the most expensive ways to generate electricity. Developing industrial wind depends heavily on taxpayer-funded subsidies at a time when our economy can least afford it.
Wind generated electricity is unreliable. Wind varies from season to season, day to day and hour by hour. While our electricity use also varies, we generally need the most electricity when wind is least likely to provide it.
The subsidies & tax benefits that make it attractive to developers costs taxpayers and increases the Federal and State deficits.
After over decades of promoting wind, Europe is now reducing its investment in wind because they have learned that it is unpredictable, unreliable and very expensive.
Wind turbines do not result in a net “savings” of energy. Because it takes so many wind
turbines that produce so little electricity, it actually consumes more energy to manufacture the
steel towers and install them than any wind tower will produce in comparable energy in its useful
lifetime, which is only 20 years.
European experience has shown that for every four 'green sector' jobs created, nine other jobs are eliminated for a net loss of jobs.
Contrary to Windustry propaganda, wind generated electricity is not 'green'.
Each turbine requires the clearcutting of 3 to 6 acres of forest, thereby reducing nature's ability to process CO2.
Industrial wind turbines have been proven to kill birds and bats.
Contrary to Windustry propaganda, the turbine noise has been proven to cause health issues.
Contrary to Windustry propaganda, the light flicker caused by turbine blades can cause health issues.
Pursuing industrial-scale land-based wind projects redirects funding away from more effective and proven methods of renewable generation and energy conservation.
The Downeast Lakes region includes some two dozen lakes, many of which are connected by navigable waterways. This watershed includes more Class 1A and 1B lakes than anywhere else in Maine.
If you look at the map created by the Governor's Task Force on Wind, it is obvious that the Task Force recognized the value of this system of lakes and intentionally spared it from expedited wind development. Unfortunately they did not include Carroll Plt and it abuts this pristine and magnificant resource.
This region is home to a long tradition of outdoors recreation. It has the State's largest concentration of Professional Guides and Sporting Camps. People have traveled great distances to enjoy the remote wilderness experience the area offers.
People who can afford to vacation anywhere on earth return annually to this area. Past regulars include President Eisenhower, baseball and fishing legend Ted Williams and renown outdoorsman Curt Gowdy.
This region is unique. It is a largely self-contained economy that is dependent on offering a rare wilderness experience to its guests. Industrial wind turbines on the mountaintops will destroy the value of that experience and will seriously harm the local economy.
At 428' tall, the turbines proposed for Bowers are the tallest in the State. They are more than twice as tall as Maine's tallest building. They will dominate the skyline standing nearly as tall as the mountains themselves. In one instance, the turbine will actually be taller than the mountain it'serected on.
Everything about the project is being rushed through without close scrutiny or public input. The Bowers Mountain Project exemplifies the folly of Gov. Baldacci’s Wind obsession. By listening to the Wind Power lobbyists rather than trained scientists, he has expedited the permitting processes of LURC and the DEP. He limited public input on decisions that rezone our mountaintops and ridgelines to be industrial sites. He is sacrificing the treasures of Maine to benefit a few.
Maine does not need the electricity. Growth projections show Maine as having enough capacity for the next 30 years.
Because of projects like Bowers, Maine needs to provide massive transmission line upgrades. Central Maine Power and the current administration think nothing of ordering a $1.4 BILLION upgrade to construct 350 miles of new high-voltage transmission lines so wind developers can deliver their product to other states on the backs of Maine taxpayers and ratepayers.
The Bowers Project may create two or three permanent jobs. According to a report by the National Renewable Energy Lab on windplant jobs, the national average is one maintenance employee for every 12-15 turbines.
It may cause erosion which leads to the silting of Wallace Brook, Barker Brook, Getchell Brook, Lindsey Brook and Baskahegan Stream. Wallace, Barker and Getchell are recognized by Trout Unlimited as maintaining viable populations of wild native brook trout.
The extensive blasting required may affect water tables, wells & water quality in the area.
Because this is a recreational area, many of the developed properties are seasonal camps. Their value is closely tied to the wilderness value of their surroundings. For this reason many properties will be significantly devalued.
The turbines present a very real fire risk. With the limited firefighting resources in this area there is the potential for a serious forest fire. The closest fire department is Springfield's volunteer fire department.
All
of the turbine sites and power lines will be kept clear of vegetation through the regular
application of herbicides. These herbicides may find their way into our brooks, lakes, groundwater and wildlife.
An extensive network of 60’ wide
roads must be built up to and across ridgelines to get these huge components into place and to service them in the future.
The negative effects of turbine noise are amplified by the topography and the lakes.
The dark night sky will be invaded by an array of flashing red strobe lights which illuminate the blades as they rotate and the evening mist or fog.
The area south of Bowers Mountain is economically dependent on tourism and seasonal visitors who come to enjoy the natural landscapes and water views. The placement of 27 tall white turbines will ruin the viewshed and cause serious damage to the local economy.
Despite First Wind's propaganda, there is solid evidence that wind turbines cause decreases in property values, particularly in recreational areas such as ours where the lack of industry is a valued factor.
Wildlife habitat will be destroyed and fragmented. This is an important migratory bird area. Turbines have been proven to kill bats and birds. This area is important for its numerous bald eagle nests, osprey nests and heron rookeries.
The project developer, First Wind, has shown itself to be deceitful and untrustworthy. Everywhere First Wind goes, illegalities and perversion of process follow. For example:
• As a result of numerous citizen complaints of corruption, the Attorney
General Cuomo of NY investigated First Wind for "improper dealings
with public officials and anti-competitive practices
• The Attorney General's Office in New York subsequently required them to
sign a Code of Conduct. The AG also created a Task Force to oversee
First Wind to make sure they comply.
• For some reason Maine's Attorney General despite numerous citizen
complaints, refuses to investigate First Wind or require them to sign a Code of Conduct.
• Juliet Browne, a member of the Governor's Task Force on Wind Power
Development that drew up the plan to expedite wind projects in Maine,
is married to District 118 Rep. Jon Hinck. It was Hinck who rushed
LD2283 the Expedited Permitting Process for Wind Power, through
the State House.
• Juliet Browne's husband also serves on the State Legislature's Utilities
and Energy Committee.
• Juliet Browne is also retained by First Wind and other wind developers as an attorney.
• First Wind has leased land from elected public officials, including the
State Representative for the Bowers Mountain area, the late Everett
McLeod, Sr. of Lee.
• First Wind's business model includes selecting and paying for
attorneys to advise towns during complex tax increment financing
negotiations, flipping the concept of independent counsel on its head.
• They hire "consultants" whose spouses work for approval authorities.
• They negotiated an employment contract with Kurt Adams, Maine's PUC
Chairman while he was still in office.
• They lied repeatedly to the SEC in preparation for selling stock to the
public. They said it was "a clerical error".
• They offer small amounts of money to opposition groups and vocal neighbors in order to appease them.
• They have repeatedly trespassed on private property without permission
despite repeated warnings.
• They erected a monitoring station on private property without receiving
permission.
• In other projects they have relied on 'behind closed doors' meetings and
illegal votes by planning boards.
While these activities may not violate the letter of the law in Maine, they certainly show a disturbing pattern of violating the rules of ethics by which we live. We should expect more from the people we elect to represent us and the people with whom we do business.
