This is all well and good for "Oakfield," but what about those affected by the project who have no voice in this Oakfield Wind Farm? The end of First Wind's line of turbines will be perched on a ridge that borders the town of Island Falls and overlooks Pleasant Lake (The Pond to locals). First Wind freely admits that home and camp owners and others who live and play on the water will be affected by flicker (as the sun passes through the rotating blades) and with the whooshing noise blades made - when that hits the water it could travel up to two miles across the lake, and there is the mechanical white noise that will also be whirring away in the background. Because we are not Oakfield we were not part of the process, and many of were blissfully ignorant that the ridge line of our beautiful lake was not Island Falls but rather Oakfield. I understand $5000 a year payment to landowners willing to host wind mills in their backyards is a powerful draw for people living in and economically depressed area, and that the lure of a new fire station is too powerful to not consider. Oakfield should have this project if it so desires, but there is a population whose voice has not been heard, and that is those of us who love this lake and appreciate its beauty and environmental fragility. I also get that we need to lessen our appetite for fossil fuels and wind could be al alternative, but it's still unproven in Maine. If Mars Hill is any model, we're in for a boat of load of trouble on the pond .... do you think our property taxes will also go down with the ship?

I do not remember hearing these complaints at any of the several public meetings. There were several people from surrounding towns at the meetings to voice their opinion, maybe that would have been the time and place to voice your concerns.

Sorry Mainekayaker, First Wind does not care about the views from your Lakes and ponds. They strive to keep the locals "blissfully ignorant" and the taxes around Stetson Wind went up this year. I do have to laugh at whoever wrote this article (Nick Sambides) when they said "efficient and inexpensive way to generate electricity," everyone knows it is not efficient nor is it inexpensive to generate electricity through wind power. You DID know that didn't you Nick??? As far as creating jobs, hardly any locals will be hired, and once its built and First wind goes away, you will be looking at these huge towers for the next 20-30 years. So goes another Maine town....

I agree that: "maybe that would have been the time and place to voice your concerns." As I said we were blissfully ignorant that Oakfield's project was going to big foot on our lake in Island Falls. I actually asked that question on more than one occasion and was told "no." Silly me for taking an answer at face value. You are right. I should have got myself up the road and attended one of the meetings to make sure I was not being lied to. The meetings were held in the dead of winter when many of the people most greatly affected by the sounds and the flicker were not there - and since we are not residents of Oakfield, were not included in the discussions. We only get the fall out. I support Oakfield having what it wants and the right to do what it wants - I just wish that town's wind fall (so to speak) wouldn't ruin a beautiful lake in a neighboring town that poeple from all over love and enjoy. Once it's gone it's gone.

Oh, and here is what a friend of mine (who is an Oakfield taxpayer) sent to me:

In August, First Wind had to secure $191 million in loans from a German bank. Since they're a private company they don't have to release any financial numbers. A company had $12 million in revenues, and $72 million in losses for 2008, how long can they stay in business? So the next question is, what happens, (hypothetically), if they file Chapter ... Read More11, say 4 or 5 years after the project is running? Who pays the landowners?

It’s really pretty simple. Who is making money from this project? Local landowners will get $5,000/year x 20 years = $100,000. That’s pretty good cash, especially for northern Maine, unless First Wind files Chapter 11 down the road. Then they get in line with everyone else. Look at GM & Chrysler.

http://www.wind-watch.org/ Do a search on Oakfield Maine and it has articles relating to First Winds project. Take a look around the world at countries that have had wind generation longer then we have and see what impact it has had

The meetings were not all in the dead of the winter, we just finished with the review committee that is what this article is about. Residents from other towns were more than welcome to ask questions and give their opinions. No one was denied the right to speak their mind. this is not the first time information wind watch has been seen, and it has been discussed at the meetings. There were noise experts, DEP reps, and many others who gave their opinion and the review board did what they thought was best for the town of oakfield.

"best for the town of oakfield." Correct.

I knew about this meeting because I read the paper this morning. I am not an Oakfield taxpayer and no longer reside full time in sourthern Aroostook. I respect your town's right to have what it wants. I hope you will allow me to be saddened that I believe the pond is getting the short end of your town's stick.

Just another small Maine town rolled over by the money and legal prowess of First Wind. Their tactics disgust me. Why haven't they proposed any sites south of Bangor? How about in Rangely or Greenville? How about the hills around Camden? I guess the wind doesn't blow in any of those locations. They never pick a fight with any area that has the financial resources or expertise to fight back. They search out locations where LURC presides and are politically powerless to stop them.

Hey "Rubyrose", where's "garysmom"? We haven't had the opportunity to do battle with her on this subject in quite a while. I kind of miss the way her sarcasm brings out the worst in anyone with an opposing view - including me. Come on "Garysmom", get back in the game.

Northwoods_Maine- you are so right..

Northwoods_Maine- I don't think Graysmom could take the pressure! Haven't heard from her since Rockstars mentioned that Kirk Ritchie used to be a private detective. Wonder why that scared her off?

no one rolled over in this town. Many hours of discussion were had and a ton of information was looked at on both sides of this issue and an agreement was reached that will work for our town and firstwind. It does not matter how a board of selectpersons handles a situation as complicated as this not everyone will be happy with the outcome. As a town we have demanded safeguards against issue that have come up in other towns and when they come to your area the same thing will happen, I hope when they show up your town can look at the work done by myself and the rest of the review committee the selectpersons board and the townspeople have done and maybe improve upon it. NO ONE was rolled over in this town.

First Wind had to borrow money for "operating expenses" for Stetson Mt. Their website states they are "operational." Where is the money from the supposed power generated?

First Wind had to borrow money because they were being forclosed on by Credit Suisse. The bank would have owned their wind farms.Was LURC told that Credit Suisse was a lender for Stetson? Citigroup and Wells Fargo were supposedly the lenders. Why doesn't First Wind have to tell the truth to ME state agencies? The NY AG is investigating First Wind for bribery of public officials. Is this the reason they don't have to tell the truth?

Now they want to build another wind farm? Will US taxes pay for the wind farm ? There is still no room on the New England Grid for First Wind 's wind farms. Lot of questions. NY AG and Conn AG are investigating. What does the ME AG investigate?

Is there a point in which ANYONE on here feels the need to PROVE anything they say?? Rockstars has beating the same drum on the NY AG (a dead case) and the Conn AG (ISO-NE capacity related issue, not First Wind) for months now. Without so much as a link, or even a quote. Where do you get this stuff? Your garbage man?

The whole "no room on the grid" thing is the most ridiculous thing of all. There is always room on the grid. ALWAYS. Know why? Because generators are brought online according to bid price. Psssst. Here is the secret. Generators that consume fuel.. any fuel.. have to bid higher than the one with a fuel cost of $0. If they shut down generation development based on "room on the grid", then we would be paying MUCH MUCH higher rates since we would have to wait for a unit to be mothballed to build a new one. It's an uneducated statement and irresponsible. Find some new rhetoric.

First Wind is private... doesn't need to give out public information.. yet you all know "facts" about their financials. Interesting. If you are looking to learn how to speak out of both sides of your mouth.. this is the place to learn folks.

Having kept up on Oakfield a bit, I think that the town in general was far more involved in the process than any town previous to this. Well played and good for them. They did their homework and came up with some mutually agreed upon guidelines. I think this is a good example of how these sorts of developments will play out in the future.

On 9/17/09 at 10:50 AM, awhite wrote: "no one rolled over in this town .... As a town we have demanded safeguards against issue that have come up in other towns and when they come to your area the same thing will happen, I hope when they show up your town can look at the work done by myself and the rest of the review committee the selectpersons board and the townspeople have done and maybe improve upon it. NO ONE was rolled over in this town.

awhite - while I applaud what the town and citizens of Oakfield have done to try to mitigate potential problems, I think you're under estimating First Wind if you firmly believe that they wouldn't have been sucessful in moving this project ahead with or without the town's sanction. I live in the Lincoln area and have followed this topic with a very personal interest and you'd be hard pressed to convince me that First Wind wouldn't have eventually lawyered the town into substantial debt and submission. While I wouldn't say I've read every word in the attached guidelines report, I did read enough to see that in many of the subjects identified to be monitored (post construction), that First Wind will be the entity doing the monitoring. Kind of like leaving the proverbial fox to guard the hen house in my opinion.

Again, I applaud you (Town of Oakfield) for your efforts and hope you feel this strongly about your decission 20 years from now.

goheels- If there is room on the grid, then why do you think Govorner Baldacci keeps talking about having to have all these new transmission lines in Maine to get the power out?

To Oakfield's credit they've worked really hard on a plan and feel satisfied with their efforts. Kudos. Shame on me and others like me for not understanding what their project meant for Island Falls ... As Homer would say, D'oh! But all of that is moot anyway, no matter what anyone thinks or does, Maine's esteemed Governor has the hots for wind power. Reference new to today's BDN:

AUGUSTA, Maine — Hoping to trumpet the state's burgeoning role as a player in the wind-power industry, Gov. John Baldacci will lead a weeklong trade mission to Germany and Spain in which participants hope to cultivate business contacts and attract investors. The delegation of 23 businesses and individuals is scheduled to leave Saturday for the trip, which is coordinated by the nonprofit Maine International Trade Center. Stops include Madrid and Zaragoza, Spain, and Bremen and Bremerhaven, both in Germany.

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/121129.html?comment_result=posted#comments-post

My family and i have land in linneus where they want to run transmission lines thru the back of our property, being 5 miles in the woods and keeping everything real is are maine concerns but from what i've been told from hilliard energy out of texas is that these lines will connect to turbines in oakfield which run to chester and then will send power to the boston massachusetts area, also there is only a couple ways to access this land one is gated road, this gives more meat heads with no respect for others land access to what they never had access to, i realize this is all minor to whats this article is related to but giving these companies permission to use our maine land and to give power to someone else, what they pay to use the land is noway shape or form worth the hastle of eyeballing a transmission line that you call your getaway for the rest of your life

The reason for new transmission lines is because wind farms need to be located in remote areas.. where there presently are no lines. No electrical load... no lines. This is not a Maine specific problem, it is national. Same thing goes for the solar projects they are looking to put in the desert. You have to have a means to move the power.

The "grid" is something that many do not understand. New England is considered to be one area. Maine is part of that. So.. wind generated power from Stetson could light homes in Connecticut. In reality though, the electrons physically never make it out of Maine. Power being sold out of the state (so to speak) is really done "on the books". It is the magic of accounting. Think of the grid in New England as a huge swimming pool full of water with trucks of water coming to fill it up on various roads (transmission lines). If the road is too small, then the truck can't deliver. Worse yet, what if there is a really great pond 20 miles away with crystal clear water, but no accessible road? That's the ideology there.

There is a reason the governor has the "hots" for wind power. Maine has a decent wind resource, and is fairly rural. It's money being brought into the state. Is it long term money? Not necessarily. Is is better than the other sources of money being brought into the state (read: NONE), absolutely.

And as far as wind power not being efficient.. huh? By efficient, you have to be referring to the amount of electricity made in correlation to the amount of fuel used. How much fuel is used at a wind farm? Presently, when talking about electrical generation, we are talking about the conversion of one form of energy to electrical energy. With coal, oil, nuclear, etc... we are converting heat to electricity. With hydro and wind, we are using kinetic energy. I am not sure that there is a very good measure of efficiency for the conversion of kinetic energy to electrical energy. There are proven benchmarks for heat rates.

I would love to see a combination of hydro plants that can store (pond) water and wind farms. The hydros can take up the slack when the wind is down. Throw in a few thermal units (biomass, etc) for standby when peak loads are up, or water is low. I think we need to bring these types of generation to the front of the pack, as opposed to the back of that pack. Can you imagine what would happen to the price of oil if we cut demand by even the 20% the government would like to see? 20% is a HUGE amount when it comes to the principles of supply and demand. That is one of the goals that I really can't believe so many people are lining up to stand in the way of.

In regards to transmission interconnecting the County to Southern Maine... do you realize that Northern Maine is not physically connected to the US grid? Only connected to NB Power. Not only that, but that region in general is generation deficient. Without NB Power's support, there would be hours when the lights in that region just go off. That is a reliability issue as much as it is anything. NB's goal is to keep the lights on for their customers. They have ZERO obligation to keep on the lights in Maine. They sell excess to northern Maine because it makes sense... and is a bonus financially for them. I think reliance on an entity not responsible to the rules of our own regulatory bodies is incredibly irresponsible. People are going to block the construction of a transmission lines that will not only move wind power out.. but will also serve to keep your lights on during the winter peak load season? Wow. That is cutting off your nose to spite your face if I have ever heard it.

Northern Maine is connected to the US grid because Fort Fairfield power plant had to sell. Iso New England could get Canadian power cheaper.

Indeck had to sell too. Iso New England did not pay agreed upon price.

Anti trust violations follow every place first wind does business.

Brookfield and Indeck , both renewable , were scheduled to be kicked off the grid to make room for Stetson. Brookfield lawyered up.

Criminals run the state.

When we found out that we would have a wind farm in the neighborhood at Stetson Mt. ....We started calling first wind for about 2 months. When Matt Kearn finally returned our calls. The legislature had just passed emminent domain for transmission lines. It was the last day to file for intervenor status with LURC. May 22, '07. We did not know this.

When Matt Kearn came out to meet with us. Some neighbors met with him at the town hall. Although he had been project manager for the Mars Hill wind farm....he could answer only a few of our questions. Most of those answers were not true. No one including , the AG office cared that lies and obfuscation was the way first wind and their cohorts in state govt do business.

Robin Cluky of DEP was the state project manager for the Mars Hill wind farm. She said she never went to see it , however. Also she said there had been no formal complaints against first wind. There had been 10 with follow up. She had met with her boss, Andrew Fiske and people who lived close to the Mars Hill wind farm. Robin had to have it explained to her about formal complaints. She continued with her story, however. No formal complaints.This is the reason there should be an investigation from the justice dept. The AG office is compromised.

Now you are just displaying a fundamental lack of knowledge. Maine Public Service is connected to NB Power. Fort Fairfield's biomass plant sold the energy into ISO-NE THROUGH NB Power since there is not a transmission line connecting the utilities. Bangor Hydro and CMP are ISO-NE members, Maine Public Service is not. They were doing the exact same thing that Mars Hill Wind does now. The proposed transmission line would connect MPS with ISO-NE THUS connecting them to the US grid. This is an indisputeable fact.

ISO-NE is a governing body that oversees the market, but has zero at stake financially. In other words, they do not agree to buy energy on a contractual basis, thus not capable of shortchanging someone, in this case Indeck. Indeck is down due fuel shortages and high fuel prices in biomass. Biomass cannot compete with fossil fuel generators and cannot make a profit at the prices those companies can. From what I understand, they cannot even break even at the present market price. BUT... by all means, let's introduce more overly priced biomass to the mix so that we can turn the argument on them as opposed to the wind generators.

Brookfield and Indeck have transmission reservations that they cannot be shorted of. That is another completely false statement. Please cite a source. I have asked you over and over (while posting links myself) and you refuse to do so... merely regurgitating the same old fabrications and inaccuracies. The news doesn't report it because it would be FALSE.. not because they are trying to hide something. They are not being "wronged" by anyone. Brookfield has transmission rights, and Indeck basically cannot compete.

It is very very hard to take anything you say at face value since much of what you are saying is factually incorrect. You really need to understand the way the transmission system and the electricity markets work before you can even begin to comprehend that many of the things you are saying are not only incorrect, but at times IMPOSSIBLE. Stick to what you know.. and I will do the same.

Rockstar why even try to compete. Goheels has not only proved you wrong on just about every one of your points, but he made you look completely incompetent. The pond analogy was a great one Heels, perfect way to describe electricity and transmission to the less informed. In wind efficiency is measured by its capacity factor and effective forced outage rate. Effectively measuring how much energy the turbine is producing compared to the power curve of the turbine (energy output vs. wind speed). The other thing with you people is this; why is it that every time you get proven wrong you immediately go into conspiracy theory mode? It must be fun to live in a fantasy land where everyone thinks your crazy.

Go heels very good points, you must work for first wind or hilliard energy lol, i like your ideas, however there is more to it then power not to get off topic, from the little i know the rep has told me that the grid curriently in mars hill is not big enough hence this new grid starting in chester/ lincoln area to oakfiled, and everyithing going back to boston area. One of my concerns are (1) what is the hazards of EMF'S (elector magnetic frequencies) as you know generated from these transmission lines, these companies are not offering leases they want to buy out people just to use a portion of the land i still own it, some parts of the terrain are hard to get to even by four wheelers, these lines also expose my property where the average joe blow can't access it unless one he has a key or two he knows the trails, hence this makes it a peaceful getaway now opening to the public, i'm just afraid of the access of now allowed when occasionally hearing a wheeler fly by once in a while to more steady over the years, break-ins, etc. If you work for first wind or hilliard energy it wouldn't surprise me people from out of state don't give two ***** about this state its all about the big $$$$ but what do you know about EMF'S and any hazards that may be associated with it , no offense intended

I have to admit, when I read these stories in the paper, I can't wait to see all the comments that get posted. It gives me a good laugh every time.

Let's see: the town of Oakfield has done a great job to review a proposed project and get educated on wind projects. Great! But NO! They were clearly FOOLS who have been railroaded. Is that right? Even though the town contracted their own consultant to help draft these guidelines?

Please. Renewable power is coming, and Oakfield seems to have taken a smart, thoughtful step to bringing it to their town. Conduct a deep, thorough review, get educated on the benefits and the impacts and make a determination if it's something you want. Perfect! Bringing more renewable power to the region not only will be good for the economy ($120 mil project? That should mean a lot will come to Maine and to Aroostock County), and is beneficial for the environment.... The crazy claims from RubyRose and rockstars and others.... Can anyone take them seriously?

Greenisgood-I guess you haven't really been paying much attention to what has been written here. You say I have made "crazy claims" and can anyone take me seriously? I really would like to know what I have said here today that is so "crazy"? I asked goheels a serious question about the transmission lines, notice it ended with a question?? That is not a claim. I also said that the taxes went up out near Stetson Mountain. That is a claim. I can show you my tax bills. They went up $150. this year. That is the only thing that I have claimed here. Maybe you should read the comments before commenting on them. You say - Conduct a deep, thorough review, get educated on the benefits and the impacts and make a determination if it's something you want. Perfect!- Well it is NOT something that I want or think is a good thing for Maine. I also have a right to my opinions,just like you do. Apparently things are only "PERFECT" if it fits your ideas.

You can spot the First Wind employees...nasty attitude. No facts or lies. It is the way they do business.Should be run out of the state.

Maine Public Service is owned by Iberdrola out of Spain. ....and funded by Abu Dhabi Energy. gettting away from middle eastern oil is a joke. Mid eastern oil is taking over ME. They own public service gas too.

Most of our power plants are powered by natural gas. ...which we have an abundance of in the US. First Wind and the Baldaci administration can't get their facts straight...euphemistically speaking.

Indeck was powered by bio mass. Left over trees. They were forced to sell because Iso New England did not pay the agreed upon price for services. Indeck was supposed to close when stetson was finished because there was no room on the grid. Anti trust violations.The whole energy biz is criminal. The Conn AG is investigating Iso New England for anti trust violations.

User was going to check with DEP about Mars Hill being out of compliance with state noise law. What happened with that user?

greenisgood - you say, "Bringing more renewable power to the region not only will be good for the economy ($120 mil project? That should mean a lot will come to Maine and to Aroostock County), and is beneficial for the environment.... The crazy claims from RubyRose and rockstars and others.... Can anyone take them seriously?

Do you think that $120 mil is being spent in Aroostock county? Much of the cost is equipment which is manufactured in Europe. Another large cost is "legal" - last I checked First Wind was using mostly out of state lawyers. The $120 mil is the total cost of the project, of which there's a relatively small portion spent in Aroostock. Keep drinking that green kool aid. Your only contibution here has been to criticize anyone who disagres with your viewpoint. Quite frankly, I don't know how anyone is supposed to take YOU seriously!

Maine Public Service is a publicly traded company... not owned by Iberdrola. Go to Yahoo Finance and look up MAM (Maine and Martimes Corporation). That is the parent company of Maine Public Service. That is EXACTLY the sort of thing I am talking about. You have no idea what you are talking about, refuse to research it, and then post untruths anyway.

Indeck is indeed a biomass plant. Since the mills are all closing down... there is higher demand for fuel than there is supply. Fuel costs have sky rocketed. Same reason why Wheelabrator Sherman biomass shut down. It has NOTHING to do with another generator being brought online. It has to do with the fact that they cannot compete. Pushing higher priced electricity out of the market is kind of the point of building new generation.

User - Capacity Factor is a reasonable measure of efficiency, but not really the best. If I have a coal plant that is 95% efficient, and I am down for maintenance, I still have a 95% coal plant in terms of rate of return.

I wished First Wind employees would post on here... and maybe they do. All I know is that the vast majority of this stuff is public knowledge provided you learn how to use Google.

Mainekayaker

goheels ....Google isn't hard at all. Neither is calling DEP to see if the Mars Hill wind farm is in compliance with ME state law. Pick the phone up during regular business hours.

You seem to have a vested interest in making first wind look like a respectable business. Good luck.

My interest is renewable power. What amazes me is that EVERY opponent I have ever listened to does exactly what you do... and that is regurgitate hearsay that is rarely accurate and often just plain wrong. Interesting as well is that no one seems to have a solution for this enormous problem of oil dependency. I am not even going to go into the environmental aspects of this... the cut in demand for oil is enough to put money back into the pocket of every hard working American out there. Electricity rates go down, gasoline prices down, heating oil prices go down. I do not understand why in the world anyone would be opposed to saving money.

First Wind just happens to be the company that you are hammering... it could be Horizon wind next. They are looking to dwarf First Wind's wind portfolio up in Aroostook County over the next 10 years. Better get your torch and pitchfork ready.

Rockstars- you should try practicing what you preach. After calling the DEP myself it was interesting to learn that you don't know what you are talking about. On December 18th, 2008, they issued a letter to First Wind stating they were in compliance with state laws for noise. The evening prior they held a public meeting at the Mars Hill Fire Department with about 40 people attending and stated why they found First Wind in compliance. I am sure when you called you just got confused, but if you ask nicely they can even give you a copy of the letter of compliance.