CARRABASSETT VALLEY – One of the members of the Land Use Regulation Commission on Wednesday recused himself from a three-day hearing on the proposed Black Nubble Wind Farm near the Sugarloaf USA ski resort.

Steve Wight of Newry said he wanted to ensure that the debate centers on the project itself and not on his participation.

The hearing got under way Wednesday on a scaled-down version of the wind farm project that was earlier rejected by state regulators.

Wight was the only one to vote for the original project, which called for 30 wind turbines on Black Nubble and Redington Pond Range. In the revised plan, developers removed the 12 turbines from Redington Pond Range while leaving the 18 on Black Nubble.

There is a mix of support and opposition for the proposal, including Maine Audubon Society, which opposes it, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine in favor.

Opponents targeted Wight for phone conversations between commissioners and people advocating for the wind farm developer.

They also criticized Conservation Commissioner Patrick McGowan for contacting a member of the panel after the earlier vote. McGowan said he made a mistake but insisted that he was not trying to influence the outcome.

The complaints of bias and influence can be traced back to Jan. 25, when McGowan called Ed Laverty, a commission member.

Laverty later said McGowan asked him to call the other commission members and ask where they stood in the wake of the decision the day before. Laverty told McGowan he felt it would not be right for him to call other members.

State law and the land commission’s own rules ban private talks between commission members and anyone advocating a position on a pending matter.

McGowan said Tuesday he wasn’t trying to change any votes when he called. Besides, he said, the decision already had been decided the day before.

“Ed Laverty and I disagree on that conversation. My conversation with him was about the process,” McGowan said. “I don’t have a stake in this wind farm. We just have to run a process that’s fair.”

Gov. John Baldacci reminded members of his Cabinet to stay clear of decisions by regulatory boards such as the land commission.

“Unless it’s absolutely necessary, there should be as little communication about pending matters as possible between commissioners and regulatory bodies,” said Mike Mahoney, Baldacci’s chief legal counsel. “These independent boards really need to be doing their work as independently as possible.”