AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers are examining a bill that would remove the state’s megawatt wind energy targets and replace them with goals to expand economic opportunities and lower electricity costs through wind power. The Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee will hold a public hearing Wednesday on the bill introduced by Republican Rep. Lance Harvell of […]
wind power
Posted inBusiness
High court overrules PUC approval of wind energy deal
A 2012 deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars to expand wind energy projects across the Northeast was dealt a blow Tuesday by the Maine supreme court, which ruled that a state agency’s approval of the complex deal was invalid. The transaction included prominent wind developer First Wind, Maine utility companies Bangor Hydro and Maine […]
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Posted inOp-Eds
Alan Michka: Rules for siting wind projects divest citizens of their rights
Some years ago, my wife brought home a bumper sticker that read, “No, you can’t have my rights. I’m still using them.” We never did put it on our car. Maybe we should have. We’re among a small number of rural Mainers who lost a right to have a voice in our communities’ futures. We […]
Posted inLetters
A. McKay Barnett: Wind power keeps blowing through
The Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee did not bring wind bills to a vote, again. More than 35 Maine towns voted ordinances explicitly to stop industrial wind power, although they could not openly state that at the time. Those ordinances represent thousands of votes against the destruction of views and watersheds; against unnecessary bird […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
PUC gives UMaine OK to build wind project near Monhegan Island
HALLOWELL — Maine utility regulators gave initial approval to the University of Maine and its partner companies’ proposal to build two wind turbines off the coast of Maine on Tuesday, clearing a major hurdle in their effort to supply power to 7,000 homes and eventually create a larger project that could transform Maine into a hub […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Proposed bill would extend scenic impact of wind projects
AUGUSTA — Maine must strengthen its laws to ensure wind power development doesn’t hinder the beauty of its natural resources, supporters of a bill to amend the state’s wind energy laws said Monday. Under a bill being considered by the Energy, Utility and Technology Committee, the state could seek an assessment of the visual impact of […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Monhegan Island residents question wind-power project
AUGUSTA — The tiny island of Monhegan off the coast of Maine is home to about four dozen people year-round. To get there, visitors have to take a ferry. The island is tranquil, and that’s the beauty of it. Now residents wonder if a wind-power project proposed off the island’s coast could upset their quiet […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
First Wind to sell electricity to Massachusetts utility
First Wind on Friday signed an agreement to sell the majority of the electricity it plans to generate at its Hancock Wind project near Ellsworth to an electric utility in Massachusetts. Boston-based First Wind, which operates five wind farms in Maine, will sell 75 percent of Hancock Wind’s future electricity output to the Massachusetts Municipal […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Friends of Maine Mountains blasts Maine Audubon over wind farm report
WELD — A group that has opposed wind power projects in Maine is attacking a report by Maine Audubon that concluded the state can develop wind power without harming wildlife. Friends of Maine Mountains on Thursday called on Maine Audubon to retract its findings. It also accused the environmental organization of being biased because it […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Maine wind, Canadian hydro, natural gas
It’s the latest way of thinking about New England’s energy future: Each state has something the others need. Maine has wind resources and the space for turbines. Southern New England has the demand for renewable energy. Maine now has a law that asks state officials to look into the best options for bringing more inexpensive […]