Charlottesville, Virginia (Platts)--14Apr2008

Maine Governor John Baldacci is expected to sign this week a bill that
creates fast-track review of wind farms and sets a goal to develop 3,000 MW of
wind energy by 2020.

The bill -- which passed the state's House and Senate unanimously on
Friday and becomes law as soon as the governor signs it -- is based on a
February governor's task force report that called for designating about
two-thirds of the state as an area where wind farms would undergo quick state
review.

The legislation requires that the state limit project review in the
fast-track zone to no more than 185 days, unless a public hearing is
necessary, which extends the cut off to 270 days. In contrast, state
regulatory review for some Maine wind projects has taken years.

The bill also makes it more difficult to block a project because of its
impact on scenic views.

The state sets a goal of developing 2,000 MW of wind energy by 2015 and
3,000 MW by 2020, with at least 300 MW from offshore wind.

Maine is considered key to renewable energy development in New England
because it has large undeveloped areas and as much wind energy potential as
all of the other five states in the region combined, the wind task force
report said.