River Valley
Voters enact 6-month moratorium on wind farm development
Terry Karkos/Sun Journal
Rumford residents voted to enact a six-month moratorium on commercial wind power projects Thursday night.
RUMFORD — In less than 10 minutes and without discussion, voters at Thursday night's special town meeting enacted a 180-day moratorium on commercial wind farm development.
By a show of hands, a majority of the slightly more than 100 people decided they wanted the opportunity to understand and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of wind development before any project come to town.
Former Town Manager Len Greaney, spokesman for the Wind Power Education Committee that is behind the citizen-initiated petition, said the vote spoke volumes to the committee.
"I think it was an overwhelming 'yes,'" Greaney said afterward in the Rumford Falls Auditorium where the 6 p.m. meeting was held.
"People need time to look at the facts and consider the options - both pros and cons - of wind power," he said.
The committee pressed for a moratorium this fall after incorrectly believing that Boston-based independent wind energy company First Wind was about to push through a wind farm project.
In fact, First Wind is still testing winds atop Rumford peaks and is nowhere near proposing such a project. Contacted after the moratorium was enacted, First Wind spokesman John Lamontagne in Boston said the company appreciates the consideration by Rumford selectmen of the issue.
"First Wind has a track record of having an open and transparent public process when developing projects," Lamontagne wrote in an e-mail.
"We have successfully worked with several Maine communities to deliver numerous economic opportunities associated with the construction and operation of our projects," he wrote. "First Wind is working toward meeting Maine's immediate energy needs with renewable and affordable electricity."
Greaney said the committee, which meets once a week, is developing an ethics agreement for members to sign.It states that they have nothing to gain personally from gathering facts to educate the public. By signing the contract, members must be willing to discuss and research both pros and cons of wind power in the community and to gather facts, not opinions or beliefs.
Moderator John Patrick spent more time laying down the rules of the meeting than was spent on the show-of-hands vote. Only a few voted against the moratorium.
After reading the moratorium article, Patrick asked for a show of hands from those interested in speaking on the issue. Not a hand went up.
Had someone indicated they wanted to speak against the moratorium, Greaney said he and committee member Roger Arsenault would have also raised their hands to speak.
"We looked around, and where we didn't see anyone raise their hands to speak, we thought it important to just let it lie," Greaney said.
Patrick sought a motion on the article, which was made by Selectman Greg Buccina to enact a 180-day moratorium.
Former Selectman Jolene Lovejoy seconded it; voters approved it, and Patrick ended the meeting at 6:08 p.m.
tkarkos@sunjournal.com
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verified I agree with candiceanne ,
I agree with candiceanne , this is why it should have been a secret vote not a special town meeting (or as i call it a gang vote) this had nothing to do or very little to do about advantages or dis-advantages of wind power but how they look on the mountains(NIMBY) . so are we going to do this for everything that’s comes to the river valley (lol) no 6 month waiting period for marden's so we could study the advantages and dis-advantages it would have on downtown shops.
So we lost 22.5% income business logic states you have to cut services , labor and benefit cost to stay open the wind farm could have helped , and they will not build it.
one last ramble .............what is the planning board's job
I would like to thank the
I would like to thank the 100 Rumford Voters who turned out last night for the 10 minute one item special town meeting. It is impressive that 100 citizens who just had their property taxes jump 22.5% to the highest in the state. in a community with 19% unemployment and where 25% of the residents are retired and struggling on fixed income could set aside the possibility of jobs, tax relief, and business and vote to protect the view shows outstanding commitment to green. First wind announced a few weeks ago that due to wind patterns at Black Mountain and the narrow ridge of the other two mountains in the Rumford project, it was not feisable. Still 100 concerned Rumford voters braved a December night to be sure ordianances will be passed to be certain the view is protected.
The citizens of Rumford have been amazing in their commitment to fight global warming. Virtually all industry has been elliminated and businesses are being continually reduced. The number of homes requiring heating has significantly declined as have the number of cars. The cars that remain travel fewer and fewer miles. All these factors reduce green house gas and other emissions.
With the near elimination of the pulp, paper, lumber and other timber utilizing industries, the forests have returned with very little cutting, certainly no clear cutting being done. Amazing to think, just 30 years ago pulp trucks were a common site on roads throughout the area and that logging and replanting was commonplace. We no longer have to worry about cutting for any of those industries, development or homes and thanks to 100 great people we do not have to worry about cutting for renewable energy from wind turbines either.
So thank you again to the 100 great Rumford Voters who turned out last night and preserved Rumford's reputation and assured our future
verified Congratulations to the wise
Congratulations to the wise and concerned people of Rumford! Beware of the slick out of staters. The remarks by John Lamontagne are the verbal tripe they use everywhere. They will do anything to get their projects approved and have a history of back room dealings with town and county officials. They say they are for open process, but if you ask them about their data, they won't tell you anything about it. In Lincoln, which is rated as "poor" wind potential on the US Energy Information Office map, they were asked how their data justified the project and wouldn't reveal any information. They use the same studies but move them around for different applications, which they were called out on at the Lincoln DEP hearing.
Well, here are some answers, based on my first hand experience with First Wind. They want to do projects wherever they believe they can get a willing host community that is also sucker enough to grant them a local subsidy through a TIF. Its not about generating actual kilowatts, its how many turbines they can get up to maximize sucking up taxpayers' money. They just cloak it in their "save the world" spin.
As far as the DEP goes, you can prove over and over that First Wind is a flim flam operation and blast all kinds of holes through their application, but DEP is still going to approve because of pressure from the head wind zombie himself---Baldacci. He is directly and personally connected to First Wind. Kurt Adams, who was Baldacci's legal counsel for 3 years, then appointed by Baldacci to be chairman of the PUC for 2 years is now Executive VP for Development for First Wind.
So, wise people of Rumford, you took a great step in enacting the moratorium. Now look to excellent ordinances similar to the recently enacted Dixmont ordinance to have in place to protect your town's interest. You control it, not First Wind and Baldacci!
But, but, you can't do that
But, but, you can't do that -- haven't you heard about my expedited wind law? - JB
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