LURC should approve wind farm compromises

Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission is scheduled to vote next week on two large wind power projects that could help reduce our dependence on fossil fuel and firmly establish Maine as a regional leader in developing clean, renewable power.

Our two organizations, the Natural Resources Council of Maine and Maine State Chamber of Commerce, strongly support appropriately sited wind power development and urge LURC to vote in support of both the Black Nubble and Kibby wind farms.

We believe that approval of these two projects is in the best collective interests of the people of Maine, our environment, economy and future generations.

Our society has become too dependent on coal, oil and natural gas. As a result, our economy is vulnerable to energy supply disruptions, and our environment is dangerously exposed to mercury pollution, habitat destruction and global warming. This path is not sustainable. Now is the time to move ahead with energy policies and projects that improve our energy independence and security.

Energy efficiency must be a top priority. Our two organizations believe that cost-effective energy efficiency investments could save Maine people and businesses hundreds of millions of dollars over the coming decade. We are convinced that a major energy efficiency initiative across New England could eliminate our need to continually expand electrical power generation, even as our economy grows.

But even if we succeed heroically with energy efficiency, we will remain tied to our existing forms of power. More than 60 percent of New England’s electrical power comes from oil, coal and natural gas. Renewable energy can help reduce this dangerous overreliance.

Fossil fuel-powered plants with high operating costs can be ratcheted down whenever wind farms with no fuel costs generate power. It’s that simple: More wind power means less fossil fuel use, and this reduction means less global warming pollution.

Fortunately, Maine has the gift of strong winds that can be harvested by modern wind farms. Combined, the Black Nubble and Kibby wind farms are expected to generate sufficient electricity to supply 70,000 Maine households. By any measure, that is a lot of power.

Wind power is not without controversy, and these two projects have had their fair share. The Black Nubble Wind Farm initially involved a second mountain, Redington Pond Range, which became a focus of particular concern because it is adjacent to the Appalachian Trail, provides habitat for the endangered northern bog lemming, and is Maine’s last unprotected 4,000-foot peak. These concerns contributed to LURC’s preliminary vote last January to deny the project.

But the developer returned in June with a scaled-back proposal that eliminates all turbines from Redington Pond Range. The new proposal only involves turbine construction on Black Nubble Mountain, which is farther from the Appalachian Trail and does not provide habitat for the bog lemming. The developer also has agreed to permanently protect Redington Pond Range from wind power development if the Black Nubble project is approved.

This is a compelling compromise that balances the state’s need to protect special places with our need to develop clean, renewable power.

Concerns about the Kibby wind farm have centered on the project’s location in a remote area of industrial forest northwest of Eustis, near the Canadian border. Because wind turbines are large, they can be seen from considerable distance. Individuals opposed to the Kibby project have voiced their concerns about what the project might look like in that landscape.

Recognizing that the project will have impacts, the developer of the Kibby wind farm agreed to relinquish its wind development rights on 1,324 acres of ecologically significant ridgeline near the project site and to contribute $500,000 toward protection of 750 acres of high-value alpine habitat adjacent to Grafton Notch State Park.

As with Black Nubble, we believe this is a compelling compromise that strikes the right balance.

All energy projects involve trade-offs and impacts, and wind power is no exception. But wind power also provides significant benefits, beyond clean power. These two projects together are expected to generate an estimated $7 million annually in property taxes, lease payments to landowners, wages, and investments in local goods and services. In addition, according to testimony by Maine’s Public Utilities Commission, the creation of more clean power with low operating costs would help keep down the price of electricity, which benefits everyone.

Maine can be a leader in wind power development, and LURC can help show us the way. The commission has given the Black Nubble and Kibby wind farm projects careful consideration over the past year. Now is the time to approve them so that Maine can benefit from the economic, conservation and clean energy benefits that would come with the wind.

Brownie Carson is executive director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Dana Connors is president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.