Endless Energy submitted its preliminary proposal to build a 90-megawatt wind farm in Maine in late September. The full proposal was submitted in the middle of December. This is a project that has been in the works for 10 years and all major concerns about it have been addressed except one: the view.

If we are ever to be free of foreign energy, we are all going to have to make some compromises. Some are going to have to give up low mpg cars and trucks, some are going to have to pay a little extra for more efficient homes, some are going to have to give up a little of their unspoiled views. Everyone is going to have to make some kind of sacrifice.

Maine has several locations suitable for wind turbines, as shown on federal Department of Energy wind maps. In those locations the wind is very predictable – more predictable than water in an equivalent hydropower location. It is unfortunate that one of those locations for wind power is within sight of popular hiking trails.

Yet the governor is silent on this project. So is the Office of Energy Independence and Security. This isn’t a time for an elected leader to wait and see which way the political winds are blowing. This is a time for someone to lead.

David Hughes, Lewiston

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