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August 4, 2011

Down East wind farm gets initial OK

By The Mainebiz News Staff

Land use regulators have given tentative approval to a First Wind subsidiary's plan to build a wind farm in Hancock County.

The 19-turbine wind farm, proposed by Blue Sky East LLC, earned initial support yesterday from the Land Use Regulation Commission, though additional review is scheduled before LURC's final vote in September, according to the Bangor Daily News. The wind farm would be located on 100 acres on Heifer and Bull hills in Township 16, east of Eastbrook. Last month, county commissioners approved a tax-increment financing district, as well as a community benefit in which Blue Sky East pays a per-turbine fee to the county. A group called Concerned Citizens of Rural Hancock County spoke in opposition to the project, citing possible impact on nearby wildlife.

Massachusetts-based First Wind operates another Down East wind farm in Stetson, as well as one in Mars Hill in northern Maine. The company is currently building a wind farm on Rollins Mountain in Penobscot County, and has proposed wind farms in the northern Maine town of Oakfield, Somerset County's Mayfield Township and Bowers Mountain on the Washington-Penobscot county line.

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