AUGUSTA – Gov. Paul LePage imposed a moratorium on new wind energy permits in Maine on Wednesday while establishing a commission that will meet behind closed doors to study the economic impacts of wind turbines on the state’s tourism industry.
LePage, a long-time critic of wind energy, issued an executive order creating the Maine Wind Energy Advisory Commission to assess how wind power affects the state’s electricity rate structure and wind power’s economic impact. The 11- to 15-member commission is charged with developing and proposing policies “regulating the future deployment and operation of wind turbines” in Maine – New England’s largest generator of wind energy – but will be exempt from Maine’s Freedom of Access laws, meaning the group will not have to meet in public.
LePage’s moratorium and executive order are guaranteed to anger advocates of Maine’s sizable wind energy industry and other backers of renewable power, who already view Maine’s Republican governor as hostile to “green” energy.
This story will be updated.
High winds spin operational turbines at a Carthage wind farm. (Sun Journal file photo)
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