The commercial wind developer First Wind has strived to sink its claws into the area around Eastbrook (DeLorme Map 24). in Hancock County. The citizens of Eastbrook passed an ordinance requiring a one-mile setback for commercial wind turbines. As a result, First Wind decided to push forward on an end of that project area which sits in the unorganized territories, in Township T16MD affecting both Bull Hill and Heifer Hill just east of the Eastbrook town line.
It involves the placement of nineteen, 476-foot high wind turbines there which will be highly visible in the surrounding areas of Spectacle and Rocky Ponds to the north, Narraguagus Lake to the south, and Molasses Pond to the west.
It will be located some miles to the north of the internationally known and scenic Mount Desert Island, the home of Acadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain. One would think that the citizens of Maine along with the federal government who manages a large portion of this internationally recognized scenic wonder would be against such a sight marring the beauty of the surrounding areas.
One must hope that the outcry from the people of Maine and those from away is to be heard far and wide. Public outcry is the only way that we can stop this unsightly destruction and to protect our beloved state and its many natural wonders. This destruction is occurring along both the well traveled scenic shore line and in the interior mountainous wild areas.
Commercial wind generation depends on variable wind forces while still requiring the backup of traditional power sources during wind down times, making it both inefficient and counterproductive. The wind power industries using stimulus monies to the tune of billions of our taxpayers’ dollars (borrowed from China) are trying to sell this as the right thing to do for green power and national security.
With the onslaught of commercial wind development our tourism will be destroyed as well as that of our out-of-door recreational industries. Both are of great importance to the economic well being our state. Thousands of acres of important scenic and wild places will be destroyed, while our wildlife and mountains will forever be changed.
Dave Miller
Lexington Township, Maine
Great letter, Dave. I don’t think most Mainers are aware of what’s going on under the radar here in Maine as regards industrial wind, and the press does little to educate them. Worse, most of the major papers have ties to the wind industry and take every opportunity to greenwash their readership. If all federal subsidies for the industrial turbines being planned for Maine were instead given to Mainers to winterize their homes, each household would receive ten thousand dollars. That would go a long way toward reducing our use of heating oil, as well as putting local Mainers to work and keeping more money in the pockets of Maine residents for many years to come. Industrial wind will destroy the last great wild places on the east coast, raise our electric rates, increase CO2 as they will require more power plants to be built as back-up for their fickle energy production, and our taxes will increase as well. Yes, even in the towns where these installations are being planned or are already operating wills see or have already seen increased taxes. First Wind is having financial problems. What happens to all these gigantic turbines if they declare bankruptcy? Decommissioning an industrial turbine costs about one million dollars. Will the “host” towns be liable, or the state? Either way, we’ll pay. We don’t need the electricity. Nobody in Maine will be driving electric cars in winter. Batteries hate the cold. There are so many holes in the wind industry scam it looks a little cheesy to me.
Absolutely, Dave and Penny, a perfect portrait of the wind experiment secretly making no good use of the mountains of Maine. I once lived to do my thing and let government do their thing, but these wind things are nothing but another wallop to an already depressed economy. Mainers should stand up and say, once again, no thanks to these outsiders, we’ll do fine without you and your thing.
Great letter.
Developers like First Wind and their hired hands like Reed & Reed would like us all to refer to these industrial wind energy complexes as “wind farms” or even “wind parks”. They tell us these massive eyesores are “majestic” and “inspiring”.
If that’s the case, I wonder why the State tourism office doesn’t put photos of them on their website or in their brochures? Aren’t they proud of these marvelous “sculpture gardens”?
protest loud and often. The media is not helping/ Although I think we are gathering people who read our stories and wondering what is wrong.
What is wrong with the state granting TIF after TIF to the same company? That is unprecedented as far as I have looked. The financial capacity proof is a joke too. Any European bank can write out a check, does anyone actually investigate to see if it is legit? Who would ever know? Enron all over. Fool you once shame on them. Fool you twice shame on you.
Really folks…lets not forget about the other side of the equation. While we, as Mainers truly cherish all of our natural splendors, it is clear that we do also have a great untapped resource here in wind. It’s certainly time to begin reaching for balance in our ability to create sustainable sources of power. I urge you to visit a state like West Virginia where huge coal mining operations over the last century have left huge scars on once pristine woods. Since coal is still the major source of fuel for power plants, shouldn’t we begin to bear some of the burden. Almost every state does, in some way & to differing degrees, relinquish their natural heritage to the need for power production. Wind, while certainly not perfect, is the most benign & to me the best trade we can currently make to help generate OUR SHARE of the power we all need. I love my rural Maine home & it’s view of Cape Cod Hill. The recent addition of a cell tower there has marred the view & it has also given us full bars on our phones (in the house!) when before it’s construction a cell call has to be made from standing in the driveway. Haven’t we all begun to accept them as necessary evils? It’s long time that we begin the same acceptance of turbines.
Tom, if you seriously think that wind power is benign you obviously are not up-to-date on the subject. Wind is far from benign. Moreover, Maine does not need any more power for its own needs. Let those states who do need it install their own wind power. Surely, Maine is not the only state that has wind. There are clean and much more reliable sources of power such as hydro. Let us not forget that wind turbines require a back-up source of power that is always on stand-by for when the wind is not blowing. I, for one, do not wish to have enormous electric bills caused by the need to subsidize wind power. Neither do I wish to see my state cluttered with huge turbines and the power lines that will be needed to carry the power to the New England grid to be shipped south. I urge you to become educated about the consequences of industrial wind. Just Google “wind power” for the many answers that you need.