I remember when Mathew Kearns was Matt Kearn , project manager for Mars Hill wind farm. But oddly enough, when he came to our little community near Stetson Mt to talk to us about our wind farm. ....He could answer a very few questions about Mars Hill. Despite the fact that the Mars Hill wind farm was just finished. The few questions he did answer were not exactly accurate. This is the type of person who gets ahead with First Wind. And our Gov.'s office , AG office , DEP and LURC. They just love some liars with money to spread around.

Evasiveness, obfuscation and outright lying are the hallmark of First Wind. And our current state govt. How do they sleep at night?

Following is a link to a pdf of a scathing letter written by U.S. Rep Erica Massa (D-NY) to President Obama asking him to revoke a stimulus gift to First Wind which he states has a business model of lie, cheat and corrupt. In total, this company has received $115 million in stimulus funds (all a gift - not a loan) for wind power. I believe this is a classic example of stimulus money being awarded to friends of the administration with very poor rationale.

http://batr.net/cohoctonwindwatch/CohoctonWindmillsTOObama.pdf

Video of the Congessman blasting this gift:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxxtPcrNInU

(The audio isn't great at the start of the video, but gets much better when the Congressman is eventually handed the microphone)

This company is half owned by hedge fund D.E. Shaw, where Larry Summers was making $5 million a year for one day a week of work - up until the point where he took his current job as Director of President Obama's National Economic Council. The other half owner is Madison Dearborn, a friend of Rahm Emanuel:

http://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2009/09/clean-energy

and

http://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2009/09/clean-energy-ii

Industrial wind is the scam du jour and in fact contributes almost no electricity to the grid - at least in places like Maine, where the wind "farms" are being put up in places that the DOE maps show to be "Poor or Marginal", i.e., substandard for utility grade wind. Please see these maps at: http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_maps.asp

Wind turbines don't turn until the wind is blowing at 12 mph and they must be shut down at the first sign of a 50 mph gust.

Other problems with wind:

- Wind farms consume considerable electricity from the grid (there are even rumors that some simply let this electricity pass through so they can get production and carbon credits on it) http://www.aweo.org/windconsumption.html Because this electricity from the outside grid is usually produced by generating plants that are fossil fuel fired, wind cannot claim itself as a "clean" electricity source.

- Wind farms provide very sporadic power so fossil fuel power plants must always be kept in "warm standby" mode, i.e., combusting tremendous fossil fuel to be ready, but producing zero electricity. http://www.aweo.org/lowbenefit.html

- Wind farms add surges of power to the grid and in doing so create problems for the grid. They typically require massive transmission infrastructure that makes the cost even more price prohibitive. This is the sole reason Iberdrola wants a $1.4 billion upgrade in Maine - to be paid for by ratepayers.

- Wind produced electricity cannot be stored. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that wind produced the most electricity on winter nights, the opposite of summer days, when air conditioning uses high amounts of electricity.

Wind power is overall very emblematic of the mindless rush to renewable energy that is going to severely damage our economy if the Cap and Trade legislation becomes law.

I feel this is just the beginning of the wind power failure stories we are about to read.........

Ha! This doesn't pass the "straight face" test, Matt Kearns! I think that in spite of Obama's bailout money, you still don't have the finances to buy more Chinese made turbines and Brazilian blades for Rumford. Or maybe looking at the tussle next door at Roxbury and the 800 signatures gathered in a matter of weeks for a moratorium, you've just decided to pull out of Rumford and seek an easier town to bamboozle. There are plenty of Oakfields out there, Matt. We know the China turbines and Brazil blades sitting in Chester aren't going to Lincoln Lakes.

Why don't you guys come clean about the meteorological information you gather? Oh! I forgot! Its not about wind producing electricity! Its about how many of these monstrosities you can buy cheap from China and scatter around rurul Maine so you can suck up the government subsidies and sell phantom renewable energy credits. Saying Black Mt. in Rumford has too high gusts is as assinine a statement as saying Rollins Mt. has good wind for your Chinese toys. Matt Kearnes, you are always talking about "clean", why don't you guys come "clean" and level with the people in this state. Or better yet, just get the Hell out!

A favorite rallying cry of John "let's plan for my next job" Baldacci when it comes to Big Dumb Industrial Wind is "we can be a leader". However, voters owe it to themselves and future generations to insist on a better definition of the word "We".

The out of state wind lampreys' heads are dancing with visions of sugar plums in the form of thousands of 400' tall turbines placed all over Maine's pastoral places, the reason many of us choose to live here in the first place.

Thus the "We" in Baldacci's "We can be a leader" means a tiny group of landowners who will collect rent from the wind companies. A tiny group that would shamefully SELL OUT THEIR NEIGHBORS. It also means government who, will do virtually anything to have a new way to collect taxes.

"We" does not mean workers, for big wind actually causes net job losses. It does not mean ratepayers, for ratepayers will fund the billions of dollars of transmission lines required to get tiny amounts of electricity. The $1.4 billion CMP upgrade is just the very tip of the iceberg. Ratepayers will also see their electric bills skyrocket because wind is so expensive.

It does not mean taxpayers, for it is they who will be required to fund the massive subsidies that big wind requires. In fact, industrial wind is not about harvesting wind, for Maine's land-based wind is officially rated as "Poor to Marginal", but rather government subsidies.

"We" is not those persons interested in personal freedoms, for the massive transmission infrastructure will seize lands all over Maine by eminent domain.

"We" is not hunters or wildlife observers, for industrial wind causes habitat fragmentation. Without question, the game disappears.

"We" is not hikers, photographers or scenery lovers for hardly a single view from a summit across the majestic Maine woods will not include clearcut and blasted ridges covered with turbines.

"We" is not even those who wish to reduce carbon. For wind actually steals subsidies that could go into carbon reduction programs that are effective. Wind is not.

"We" is not you and me.

LadySlipper..I agree with you. Mainly because of the downturn in our economy. And also the Obama administration is investigating off shore tax havens and money laundering. Notice First Wind is perpetualy broke now? Only way they can build is to receive a "grant."

How do they continue to receive permits when they have to show the ability to finance? Maybe DEP and LURC needs to open their books. In the proposal for the Stetson MT windfarm to LURC made by First Wind....they go into great detail about land , their employees and historic sites. Financing ...not so much. What is really important.

The Justice Dept needs to investigate First Wind , the gov.' s office, AG office, DEP and LURC. Blatant law breaking.