Final OK given to Kibby wind expansion
Land use regulators have given their final approval to an 11-turbine expansion of the Kibby wind farm in western Maine.
The Land Use Regulation Commission voted 5-1 yesterday to accept a draft order initially backed in December and allow developer TransCanada to move ahead with a $92 million expansion of its existing 44-turbine wind farm on Kibby Mountain in northern Franklin County, according to the Bangor Daily News. TransCanada had originally proposed a 15-turbine expansion, which commissioners said they would likely reject, leading the developer to scale back its plans.
Dissenting commission member Rebecca Kurtz agreed with opponents of the project, saying it would damage the ecosystem in the Kibby and Chain of Ponds townships. Commissioner Edward Laverty expressed discomfort at approving the project, citing objections to the state's expedited wind permitting law, but said he could not vote against the project since it met state requirements.
About 30 people protested at the commission's meeting, and a representative of one environmental group opposed to the project said it might appeal LURC's decision to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, according to the paper.
Go to the article from the Bangor Daily News >>
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