Maine's top court denies Bowers Mountain wind power project appeal
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Thursday upheld an environmental appeals board’s denial of a proposed 16-turbine wind farm near Bowers Mountain in the northeast corner of the state.
The $100 million, 48-megawatt project was planned for a site in Carroll Plantation and Kossuth Township within eight miles of lakes deemed to be scenic resources of state or national significance. The Bangor Daily News reported that the court ruled that the Maine Board of Environmental Protection acted within its power to consider the scenic impacts of the 16-turbine project when it denied the developer’s appeal. The Department of Environmental Protection had rejected a permit for the project in 2013.
The project was planned for an area already designated for wind power generation, but regulators also had to weigh the public’s right to enjoy views of the land, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Champlain Wind LLC, formerly a subsidiary of First Wind, proposed the project. SunEdison purchased First Wind at the beginning of this year for $2.4 billion.
The spokesman for SunEdison told the Press Herald that the company is disappointed in the court’s decision and will decide its next steps soon.
Read more
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments