DIXFIELD — Selectmen unanimously agreed not to amend a proposed wind power ordinance and said developers will have to follow state Department of Environmental Protection regulations.
All this could change, however, if wind development opponents Dan McKay and Freemont Tibbetts are successful in writing an ordinance that gets passed.
Voters last Tuesday narrowly defeated a proposal that would have banned wind projects on Colonel Holman and Sugarloaf mountains because it called for zoning. The vote was 487-543.
McKay said those who voted in favor of zoning, which would have banned turbines, most likely did not want wind development.
“Some are passionately against this and are afraid they have no voice. As we sit now, (projects) will go into DEP hands and they always deny appeals,” he said. “What Freemont and I are considering writing is an ordinance designed to stop the project, particularly on sound issues.”
Patriot Renewables LLC of Quincy, Mass., has proposed constructing up to 13 industrial wind turbines on the Colonel Holman Mountain ridgeline.
“We're hoping for a vote at the next town meeting in May,” McKay said.
Before deciding to let the DEP take over enforcement of the regulations governing wind power development, selectmen considered whether to recall the Wind Ordinance Committee to clarify the document or to give the Planning Board the original proposed ordinance for clarification.
Selectman Norine Clarke said amending the proposal could make the question clearer on whether a resident wants wind development.
Selectman Steve Donahue, however, said he was officially resigning from the committee. He and Clarke have devoted more than a year to developing the proposed ordinance.
McKay said last week's vote showed a certain amount of insight.
“It also showed how people feel about zoning,” said Clarke, who added that all parts of town, not just the two mountains, would have to be zoned in some manner.
Once the board decided to let the DEP take over regulation of wind projects, Clarke also resigned from the Wind Ordinance Committee.
Although Selectman Katherine Harvey did not take sides on the wind project, she said, “When I ran I hoped to bring economic development and an increase in the tax base, and to keep our people safe. I wanted economic development with regulation, to look at how we can make it a win-win for both sides.”
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Another anti wind ordinance
On the way. Don't be like Rumford. As selectpersons you should all take charge and yes portect but not ban windpower. Put it all down on paper what you expect from the windpeople. Make sure that the town of Dixfield gets what they want more than the developeers do. They will make there monies twofold but make sure you get your share. Work together for your people. Don't be like the 4 selectpersons of Rumford and shuck their duties. When people speak listen; minorities should not control your town. Good luck. Step up and do what you were voted into office to do.
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It always disgusts me that if you wanted to build a biomass, gas or any other fuel based generating plantin this state, you'd have to adhere to a very long and thorough process of regulatory checks and balances. But because of Baldacci's over reaction to fuel prices (which has absolutely nothing to do with generating electricity no matter the fuel used) several years ago he handed up 2/3 of Miane's land mass to the wind power developers. Most, if not all of the locations where they're building these WP projects would never pass the scrutiny of the DEP of LURC if they were anything but wind.
I'd suggest that we expand Baldacci's legislation to include all sources of power generation. The existing law is probably illegal based on it being biased to just one form of energy development. Let's give everybody the same free hand as he's given the wind power advocates. Then we'll really see the excrement hitting the fan. Thank godness ol' Baldy only has a few more weeks to reap his destruction on Maine. He's the worst Maine Governor in my memory.
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It always disgusts and amazes me that anti-wind power people, who claim to be pro-environment, do not understand that biomass, gas or any other fuel based generation produce massive amounts of emmisions in the form of air and water pollution. These plants are burning fossil fuels and and in the case of biomass garbage, which can contain anything including toxins such as mercury and lead which are then emitted into to the air descend to contaiminate the land and water. These plants along with nuclear facilities, disrupt the ecosystems of the waterways they use for cooling by raising the temperature causing algae blooms, bacteria explosions, and fish kills. These anti-wind power people who claim to be so concerned about the environment, also choose to ignore the obvious dangers of nuclear plants as demonstrated by the shutting down of VT Yankee twice in one hour this weekend, the second shutdown will be for an indefinite period. We may well see it not restart since it is scheduled for decommissioning in 2012 and the shutdown is for a radioactive water leak in a two foot diameter pipe! The fix may take longer or cost too much to make it feasible to repair, we can only hope. Also a reactor at another facility just north of NewYork City with a long history of problems went down when a transformer blewout; no restart date has been released. And they object to wind power development which produces zero emmissions and does not effect waterways.
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