Lawmakers want to slow wind growth in Maine, despite positive impacts
The future of wind energy in Maine may soon be decided -- but a new report found that it is having positive effects on the environment. The report, commissioned by the Maine Renewable Energy Association (MREA) and conducted by Sustainable Energy Advantage (SEA), found that there have been positive impacts from wind on the environment in the state.
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Mars Hill Wind Farm in Maine. Credit: Teratornis/Wikimedia Commons |
"Wind in Maine means harvesting our natural resources while employing Mainers, increasing our rural tax base, and improving our climate and air," Jeremy Payne, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association, told FierceEnergy.
The study found that numerous emissions had been decreased since the introduction of wind energy in Maine, including carbon dioxide emissions, reduced by 490,000 tons in 2013; sulfur oxide emissions, reduced by 201 tons in the same time period; and nitrogen oxide emissions, reduced by 123 tons. According to the report, the total of the reduced emissions is equivalent to taking 94,000 cars off of Maine roads in one year.
The main sources of energy in Maine are natural gas, coal, and oil, but with the state expecting the retirement of two coal plants -- in 2014 and 2017 -- a hole the report said can be filled by wind energy.
"[The] study shows clear and undeniable health and environmental benefits of moving toward clean Maine-made energy solutions, and away from dirty (external to Maine) fossil fuels," Payne added.
However, despite the news about wind, a legislative bill in Maine was introduced this week that would change laws related to wind energy in the state. LD 1329 was introduced before the legislature's Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee. The bill, called An Act to Maximize the Benefits of Renewable Energy in Maine, would require a written community benefits package by a wind developers that will be paid for by securing with a lien on the wind developer's property.
In 2008, the Maine legislature set a state goal of 2,000 megawatts (MW) of installed wind capacity by 2015, 3,000 MW by 2020, 8,000 MW by 2030. The goal would change the 2015 goal to "up to 400 MW" -- and would completely remove the 2020 and 2030 goals.
According to the MREA report, 431 MW of wind capacity was installed in the state by the end of 2013.
The bill also said that anyone proposing a wind energy development would have to establish a fund to pay for technical analysis of the proposed wind energy development.
"Bills like LD 1329 are intended to derail the industry [and] will achieve their desired result of killing jobs, and eliminating Maine-made clean electricity if the Legislature doesn't vote these ideas down," Payne told FierceEnergy.
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