Farmington, Maine-Area Residents Oppose Planned Wind-Turbine Generators
Morning Sentinel, Waterville, Maine --Jun. 2--FARMINGTON, Maine
Opponents of a wind farm that would put up to 40 turbines along the tops of its two mountain peaks in unorganized townships in the Carrabassett Valley region asked county commissioners on Tuesday to join them in their fight to stop the project in this pristine region. But two of the three commissioners said wind power was a viable, alternative, non-polluting energy source that needed to be explored and said it was too early to take a position.
Dain and Verna Trafton of Phillips, Basil Powers of Stratton, and Mary Lou
Melber of Kingfield told the board they had collected 1,800 signatures on a
petition asking the Land Use Regulatory Commission to deny Endless Energy's
request to rezone the tops of Reddington and Black Nubble mountains in
Reddington Township. Commission approval is needed for the mountaintop project
to move forward and the agency will review the application and hold a public
hearing.
"This is the worst place to put this," Trafton said. "We have
a proposal here to put a huge plant into one of the most beautiful parts of the
state ... that will cost a lot and will not do much good." "As long as
I live and breathe, I will fight this," Powers said.
The project, in development since 1997, would stretch over about three miles
along the ridge lines, with between 26 and 39 lighted towers that would be about
260 feet tall. Each would be equipped with three, 115- to 150-foot blades that
rotate nine to 19 times per minute. According to company literature, the farm
would produce at least 200 million kilowatt hours a year, enough energy to power
33,000 Maine homes. According to the U.S. Census, there were 19,159 housing
units in Franklin County in 2000. That same year, 33,000 homes represented about
5 percent of all Maine residences.
The mountain peaks are located about four miles west of Sugarloaf/USA and
eight miles south of Stratton. The turbines would be visible from Sugarloaf,
points on the Appalachian Trail, numerous logging roads and snowmobile trails,
and Route 16.
Group members said Tuesday that the project would create a net loss of 14
jobs, and the biomass plant in Stratton would not be able to transmit power at
the same time as the wind farm. They also said the power generated will be sent
out of state, and no environmental advocacy group in Maine supports it.
Lee said the group's charges are "blatantly untrue" and he has
communicated with them on their facts. Among them: The project would create
short-term construction jobs and five to 10 long-term maintenance jobs; the
power would remain in Maine; and it would not compete with the biomass plant for
power transmission capacity. Central Maine Power is requiring the company to
"re-rate" the lines so they can handle the extra power.
As for community support, he said in a 2003 area survey designed with the
help of the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Appalachian Trail Conference, 75
percent of snowmobilers, 79 percent of the hikers, 80 percent of skiers and 84
percent of locals were supportive or neutral regarding the project.
Also, Jon Hink of the Natural Resources Council of Maine said the
organization "sees an important place for wind power and this site may
raise some concern. But NRC has not taken a position on it." Commissioner
Gary McGrane of Jay said the board was aware of the opposition and expected it
would be the "driving force" before the land use commission. "But
we have limited natural resources that will eventually be gone and wind power
has valuable possibilities." Commissioner Fred Hardy of New Sharon said he
supported the concept of wind power and wanted to hear from Carrabassett Valley
residents since the turbines would be erected there.
"There is more than one side to this story," he said. Lee said he
expects the commission application will be submitted this summer now that the
real estate transactions and right of way agreements have been made with the
many landowners.
-----
To see more of the Morning Sentinel, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.onlinesentinel.com
(c) 2004, Morning Sentinel, Waterville, Maine. Distributed
by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For information on republishing this
content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax
(213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com
. CTP,