The citizens of Lexington and Concord Townships have taken a stand. In 2008, without our input, our rural communities were haphazardly rezoned as “industrial”—but for one industry only; the wind industry.
Spain’s Iberdrola Renewables has its sights set on the mountain summits of these townships. If we were citizens in an organized town, we would have the ability to draft an ordinance to insure that our health, quality of life and property values would be protected from a massive grid-scale wind facility. But the Wind Energy Act effectively removed those voting rights from rural residents.
Without recourse, we decided to do what we could to ‘have a say’ about those important ‘quality of life’ issues which will so greatly impact us. A large majority of our residents signed petitions stating that we are opposed to an industrial wind development within our borders. With these ‘votes’ as our springboard, we submitted letters to Iberdrola and to the land owner, Plum Creek, asking them to respect our majority vote and abandon their plans to industrialize our rural townships.
Iberdrola chose not to respond to our letters. Plum Creek gave us the brush off, saying our ‘views’ would be heard as part of the permitting process. Plum Creek and Ibedrola have already ‘heard’ our views, which were signed in ink and submitted to the governor… but they have decided to discount our votes and leave our fates in the hands of the DEP; an agency which history shows has approved every wind development permit application to cross its desk.
We– and citizens in Unorganized Territories all across the state– must not be disenfranchised simply because we live in rural Maine. Our votes and our voices must carry equal weight as those of citizens living in organized towns.
Iberdrola Group chairman, Ignacio Galan, stated that “If Maine signals that it’s no longer friendly to wind power, the global energy company will expand elsewhere.”
Citizens of Lexington and Concord have sent the clearest possible signal. Our state government and the agencies which carry out its mandates can do no less than support the will of the people in Lexington and Concord. A foreign corporate entity must not have more rights than American citizens. Iberdrola should respect the resolve of the People and abandon its wind development plans for Lexington and Concord Townships.
Karen Pease
Lexington Township
The battle for this country started in Lexington/Concord in 1775. It was a hard fought battle against the Redcoats. Now it looks like it is against the TURNCOATS. The spineless politicians that will sell out the good people of Maine to line their own pockets. Heres to the will of the people! Let the battle rage on!
Well said, Karen Pease. The people have spoken. The wind industry is often quoted saying they are not interested in forcing their will upon residents. If they’re not wanted, they won’t build. But that is a lie and we see it over and over again.
Luck,
Lisa Lindsay
Now What Would Angus the King say here,,,
WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP !!!!!!!!!
Maybe you would have better luck if you organized your townships into a town.
Carrabassett Valley did it.
(Dave, you are thinking of Massachusetts where Lexington and Concord have been towns since the eighteenth century.)
Licia, I’m sure that was what Dave was referring to and I’m pretty sure that these townships were named after those Massachusetts towns.
Maybe plum creek should post all their land and start charging large fees for you to use and enjoy their land .gate all their access roads and patrol with guard dogs to keep the intruders from hostile towns off their land .windmills dont make enough noise to worry about and it supplys plum creek with some money needed to pay taxes on said land .i was born and raised in maine and i think its time for the big landowners of maine just start showing people who owns the land that most use FREE.time to GATE off the northern 2/3 rds of the state and charge users fees .