AUGUSTA – Members of the State and Local Government Committee voted 8-3 Monday morning in favor of a bill that would allow Carrabassett Valley to move forward with the annexation of Redington Township.

The original proposal, sponsored by Sen. Walter Gooley, R-Farmington, was amended to include the entire township in the annexation process instead of just a portion.

Proponents of the legislation openly admit the driving force for the annexation idea comes from Endless Energy, a company that has had plans for a 300-acre wind farm in the region.

The plans have been denied twice by the Land Use Regulation Commission, which oversees the permitting process for Maine’s unorganized townships.

Three committee members of those present Monday voted against the measure, including Sen. Deb Simpson, D-Auburn.

“This precedent of going around the governing body is very disturbing,” Simpson said.

Central and Western Maine legislators voting in support of the measure were Reps. Lance Harvell, R-Farmington, and Terry Hayes, D-Buckfield.

“I came to my position because I believe the best decisions are made by the people who are most closely impacted by them,” Hayes said, explaining that approval by the Legislature will put the final decision in the hands of Carrabassett voters.

The amended version of the bill stipulates Carrabassett Valley must hold a townwide referendum on the annexation within a year of the bill’s enactment.

Even if the annexation effort is successful, the wind-power project would still have to be approved by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection before moving forward.