Commercial wind farm opponents seek to opt out of speedy reviews
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Opponents of commercial wind farms are gathering signatures to remove their townships and plantations from the vast areas of Maine where proposals receive speedier reviews, setting the stage for more contentious debates over the growing industry, the Portland Press Herald reported.
The first petitions may be filed this week by Moosehead Lake region residents who want to withdraw from the state’s “wind power expedited permitting areas” based on their position that 400- to 500-foot-tall wind turbines with blinking lights are incompatible with the beauty of an area dependent on nature-based tourism, the newspaper reported.
The Legislature embraced wind power development in 2008 with a law that streamlined the permitting process for projects in much of rural Maine and gave less weight to the turbines’ impacts on scenic views. Supporters say the law provided the regulatory predictability that has made Maine the largest source of wind energy in New England, with more than $1 billion invested in the industry here.
But critics maintain the law has robbed property owners affected by the projects — and especially those in the Unorganized Territory — of a strong voice in the regulatory review.
The new law creates a six-month window for residents to petition the Land Use Planning Commission to remove a municipality, township or plantation from the expedited permitting area. To qualify for consideration, a petition must be signed by at least 10% of the voters in that jurisdiction who cast ballots in the last gubernatorial election.
Moosehead region residents are expected to submit petitions Monday to remove 14 townships and plantations from the streamlined permitting area.
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