I have to ask what is wrong with good old Washington County wind...????????

Nothing ever comes to Washingtom county because there is not enough votes here.

WACO is full of plenty hot air! Should'a put it here!

PinWheels In Maine

What A Stupid Thang

Mess with Our Scenery and for What

Nothin Provin except in Denmark I guess.

From what I hear Denmark has Learned They are No Good At All

What A waste of Our Resources

We Could really develop something That Really would help Us All.

With All That Money being Wasted

Yeah ElectraGlide! What we need is some proven technology! It would be so easy to bring coal barges up from Virginia and build some coal fired generators here in Washington County. It would be a win, win. The prevelant winds would blow the polutants out ot sea and over to Europe, and the smoke stacks would be far enough north so as to not interfere with the tourists view in Bar Harbor.

A break for the nimbys

On a recent day in Spain, wind energy provided 57% of the nation's electricity - for a period of a couple of hours. For the full day, it was approximately 39%. Unproven technology? Bull . . . In the US we are capable of producing a targeted 20% of the nation's electricity needs through wind energy - and without sacrificing the views on every ridgeline. Targeted development is possible, with an eye on the balance between new development and existing land uses and neighbor concerns. If built in the right places, wind energy can exist in harmony with our natural resources.

The alternatives are much less attractive.

"Baldacci said that... the winds off Maine's shores have a potential to produce the equivalent of 149 nuclear plants."

Obviously Baldacci thinks we're all a bunch of morons. We can't let him get away with this kind of ridiculous statement. How far off our shores are you talking about? All the way to Portugal? How many turbines? What size? How close together? What size nuclear plant are you assuming? What is his source for this absurd statistic? Listen, people, he's just making this stuff up as he goes along because he knows the press won't call him on it. Now, if he had said 150 nuclear plants that would have been very suspicious so we have to at least give him a little credit for making it 149!

All aboard! The Screw The Taxpayer Express is outbound for the town of Bancruptcy. Enjoy the refreshing Kool Aid as we ride the rails of 4-digit monthly electricity bills.

The guv did such a great job with Dirigo Health, I'm sure his new pet project will go even better.........

Anyone else sick of crooked politics? This is pure lunacy.

Yeah @patom1~~;your assuming has made what assuming means

Try Investing in Tidal or more Hydro

Now put a sign out so I can sign you up for a Pinwheel in Your Yard

If Baldacci is involved in anyway it is going to fail!!!

Is the Maine PUC breaking the law? It is against the law for generators of electricity to own transmission lines. baldaci and the boys were going to get legislation to fix that problem. It is happening . ...without legislation.

The wind farm industry is getting increasingly like the wild wild west. Lawless.

They should go find one spot somewhere in the desolate interior of the state--where all the Lyme disease ticks will soon chase the people away, anyway--and stick all the windmills there, instead of ruining the views along the last remaining beautiful coastline in America.

1. The interior isn't desolate. Good people live there. 2. Very few or any Lyme diseases cases in central or northern Maine 3. The coastline is beautiful but Mainers know where to find the best spots with no tourists. That's our kind of place.

Windfuture, you've got it right! Modern wind turbines are not unsightly, nor do they ruin the view, they add something else to fascinate people. They are quite majestic and beautiful to watch. Although many of our neighbors don't like them, they are in our back yard, in Mars Hill, right out my kitchen window. Every state in the nation has got to come up with a percentage of green power generation, Maine is lucky to have so many sites with excellent wind velocity for wind farms. It's one thing to knock wind power, but can anyone come up with anything better? Every little bit that we don't have to import (oil), pollute (coal), endanger (nuclear) puts us one step further in the direction this country should have been going in for a long time. I would like to see some standard regulations for placement distance from residences, because they do produce noise and a strobe effect. I understand why some of our neighbors are so strongly against them. We are far enough away that the noise and strobe effect don't bother us, and can enjoy their grace. Off-shore wind turbines won't bother the neighbors.

Tidal power new?

http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/Annapolis-tidal-power.html

It's been next door for 25 years...

Regarding wind output - I have read that to replace ONE French nuclear plant (the French are big on nukes) it would require an unbroken line of wind turbines from Barcelona in Spain, through southern France all the way to Genoa in Italy. Gives you an idea of the relative outputs (nukes run 24/7) and just how many wind turbines it would take to develop any sort of electrical supply independence.

Sure, wind turbines make sense in some places but that tends not to be where the demand for power is. Here's an idea - make it a law that anyone whose view is destroyed by one of these turbines gets free electricity :-)

And I suspect there are no plans for Washington Co. because - there is little demand for power. It is next door to NB which has cheap power. Any power generated there would require transmission line upgrades (now in limbo thanks to Wash. Co. ) to export. Triple whammy.

IF I were a betting man, IF these test sites in southern coastal Maine actually even turn a test blade in the precious summer locals chosen, I'll eat my turbine. IF anyone really thinks the beautiful summer folks who own property and so think they also own the views, will sit still while these blade runners even get to test the stuff, come on, let alone set up permanent sites here, IT WILL NEVER EVER HAPPEN. In the end, Cutler will be the only site that I can see will get tested.

“Having a test site in our area will lead to great opportunities,” he said. Ah yes, it is so in the infancy stage that it's like saying, "I want to have kids, so I have chosen a spot to build my house to raise a family. Well no I haven't even a girlfriend, I never had a girlfriend true, and yes I'm I am only 10, but when I grow up and find a girlfriend, I'l ask her to marry me and we'll have kid here." Huh?

SO, the only reason for this Alice in Wnderland news conference is too RELEASE THE CASH into the pokcets of the investors who will make millions doing zero but making us feel good about the power of love for wind. It is philosophy of raiding the piggy bank to go to Las Vegas to make millions.

Baldacci is a sad, sad little man.

Hello WIND POWER, Goodbye Nuclear power...!!!

"Asked after the press conference whether he thinks offshore wind farms are financially feasible without the benefit of government subsidies, Dagher said they are, particularly with the cost of crude oil certain to rise over time"

Only one problem Habib - we don't heat or drive with electricity.

This is the problem when one has government and academia teaming up - neither live in the real world, nor could survive in it.

Think we should place the blow hard politicians out there in the ocean so when the natural wind dies down they can blow there garbage in the turbines. If we could harness and produce the promises and lies into electricity we could sell the surplus and have free power for us Mainahs.

patom1...Most of Maine's power plants are natural gas. Two alternative power plants have been shut down through politics. Do you think that your govt. could mislead you? You are a prime target to have a wind farm next door to you if you trust them. The 18 families living around the Mars Hill wind farm trusted their govt. Now they live with 24/7 noise and light flicker. The noise engineers HIRED BY FIRST WIND to do noise studies stated initially there would be minimal noise. After the wind farm was built and the noise was horiffic...the same engineers stated they could not understand why the people thought there would be no noise.

Marcia Famous of LURC is married to Norm Famous. He does studies to prove birds and bats are not harmed by wind farms.LURC accepted 1.7 million dollars worth of fees from developers from Plum Creek. First Wind has been accused of bribing public officials by the NY Attorney General. Our Attorney General says not a problem .

Presently all systems are go for the utility companies Central Maine Electric and Bangor Hydro to build 1.4 billion dollars worth of transmission lines. It is against ME state law . That does not stop them . The law will be changed very very soon.PUC has encouraged them not to charge the new lines to rate payers. That is so similiar to the bank bail outs. Corporations and banks win every time.

Do you think the residents close to the Mars Hill wind farm or Vinlhaven could get their complaints on TV or in a newspaper? Not a chance. State media.

fredrogers...you are right. ME has passed a law that some towns have no voice in the siting of wind farms. What do you want to bet , we have no voice if we are in the poorer areas?

First Wind has a pattern of picking the areas of our country to do business that have poor retirees and no work. Our state govt. makes law for them, not US.

There are currently 104 nuclear reactors operating in the United States.

Baldacci's assertion that there is enough wind on Maine's shores to produce the power equivalent of 149

nuclear power plants is patently absurd to say nothing about being flat out stupid.

If I spun my arms fast enough I could probably heat the whole neigborhood. DUH!!!!!!!

rockstar - the sound technicians are hired by First Wind and others for a reason - the taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for studies being performed for a permit. Just because the studies are paid for by the wind company doesn't mean the study is not scientifically valid - the companies that perform these studies have to maintain good standing in their peer communities, and are subject to questions following the build of any project. Mars Hill is a good example - the sound study predicted a certain level, based on how it was performed. The actual post-construction level is higher than expected. This information can be fed back into the study protocol and the next study will be the better for it. That is the scientific process at its best.

As for CMP and BH building transmission lines, why do you think it is against the law? They are transmission and distribution utilities, regulated by the MPUC and FERC - that is the exact job they are required to do. MPRP is an example of a needed reliability upgrade, since they patchwork grid we have in this state is in such bad shape. It was built for the demand in place at the time, and does not provide the needed reliability for our ratepayers. Would you prefer to wait for the lights to go off, and then permit and build a line? Waiting 18 months is not something I would like to endure.

LURC billed Plum Creek 1.7 million for the cost of reviewing their application. The alternative is to have taxpayers pay that bill. Is that what you want??

Maine needs to encourage development and new tax base. Without it, our kids will continue to move away to find work elsewhere. It's ok to pick and choose the type of development you want, but let's not continue discouraging investment in our state. Our taxes are high enough as it is.

I don't agree that we have enough offshore wind to equal 149 nuclear plants - we would have to cover the near coast with turbines, and I doubt the fishing industry, whales, shipping, etc, would be able to coexist with such a large number of turbines. Also, offshore wind is at least 10 years down the road, and will be very expensive. Power prices will have to rise significantly in order for offshore to be economic. That said, if oil (and the unspoken "natural gas" that moves in price in direct proportion to oil) continues to experience price increases, our electricity cost could be significantly higher in the next 10 years. That is the piece of this that everyone ignores. I'll say it for those who don't understand: The status quo WILL NOT LAST. We pay the highest prices for electricity in America, and they will only go up. We cannot count on new natural gas plants and LNG to keep our prices where they currently are. We don't have the political will to build large hydro, and grid solar is a farce in Maine. Wind has its drawbacks, but one very positive aspect is the locking in of a long-term price. The wind is free - the cost of building is all upfront, thus the cost of the output doesn't go up. Wind provides a long-term price hedge for power prices that no other resource can.

"... let's not continue discouraging investment in our state. Our taxes are high enough as it is".

Wind is incredibly subsidized and INCREASES our tax dollars. It also requires massive transmission lines and that increases our electric rates. So does the cost of the electricity generated.

Go climb a turbine.

"...the cost of building is all upfront, thus the cost of the output doesn't go up".

Dream on - think about all the fossil fuel fired spinning reserve and the huge amounts of electricity wind farms use from the outside grid. The turbines die in 20 years and there is costly maintenance all along the way. Sorry Dylan.

All the sites are in "southern" Maine. No surprise.

I wonder if Prof. Dagher understand how truly *nasty* the Gulf of Maine waters can get.

The particular brand of turbines at Stetson Mt windfarm have given a lot of trouble to all who have bought them. Within the last week. ..all the red flashing lights which keep the planes from crashing into them at night ...life flights etc have been out. One neighbor noticed this going to a school program for grand children. Another neighbor noticed that the road was blocked another day and heavy equipment was being used at the wind farm.

We out here near the wind farm know there will be no coverage in the newspapers and TV because it proves everything is not all peachy keen having wind farms all over the state? Is this a level playing field?

And if a plane flies into a turbine ..they are four stories high..will it be another oops ..didn't see that coming situation? Noise is a new problem at every wind farm built. Mainers have no way of knowing the truth due to media black out of pertinent information. It is not 1933 in Germany. There is the internet. This fact seems to be lost on the publishers etc. of our news media. Living in the past. There are some disgruntled people in Mars Hill and Vinlhaven. They have no public voice.

Could you figure out that the largest windfarm in New England Steson Mt, built by First Wind, was sold right after it was supposed to go online by newspaper coverage? Credit Suisse was going to foreclose. We do not know who bought the wind farm. Was it Iberdrola, who already owns Central Maine Electric? Who is planning right now to build transmission lines even though present law does not allow it?

First Wind's financial statement states Central Maine Electric out of Spain and Bangor Hydro out of Canada are doing just that. They have been asked to pretty please not raise electricity rates by PUC. The fact that is not even legal ....not a problem. ME state legislature will pass a law making it legal any day now. NY state did. Lots of First Wind and Iberdrola there too. You just have to be able to pay the "fees."

windfuture ...you sound like someone who know the inside scoop. If you were a firm ...hired by a wind farm corporation. This corporation says they are going to build wind farms all over the state. Would you want to make them mad by finding noise was much higher than they were claiming. This is common sense.

Windfuture - you wrote: "The wind is free - the cost of building is all upfront, thus the cost of the output doesn't go up. Wind provides a long-term price hedge for power prices that no other resource can. " You also say, " the sound technicians are hired by First Wind and others for a reason - the taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for studies being performed for a permit. Just because the studies are paid for by the wind company doesn't mean the study is not scientifically valid ..."

Wow, you've got to be the most naive person in the state of Maine, or an employee of First Wind or one of it's subsidiaries.

You keep holding onto those thoughts. You can discuss them with Santa and then the Easter Bunny when they come to your house !!!

Rockstars - A slight correction to what you said: "And if a plane flies into a turbine ..they are four stories high.." 400+ ft. of turbine tower and blades equals 40 stories, not 4. Other than that I agree wholeheartedly with your points.

New York Guy...I'm actually surprised that there was any kind of issue in Cutler about turbines. They already have the radio towers there and they are a heck of a lot taller than any wind turbines. It's a real shame Cutler didn't get chosen because that area really NEEDS something that might provide some jobs and economic development.

"I'm actually surprised that there was any kind of issue in Cutler about turbines. They already have the radio towers there and they are a heck of a lot taller than any wind turbines."

We looked for waterfront property there years ago and told the real estate agent we would not consider anything that looked at those hideous towers. The turbines would be off limitsd as well. It is already happening inland. Turbines lower values, despite the BS studies the wind industry cites.

Lobsterman will be the ones that get hurt out of this deal. But as usual Baldacci doesn't think of them. He just wants to try to find a way to become a hero and cover up his other screw ups. The best thing people could do is get him out of office.

jaygee...you must not have ever been to Cutler prior to looking for property there then because no matter what property you have there you see the towers...they are almost 1000 feet high. To you, someone not from that area, it lowers property value for people from away who want vacation homes. To the hard working people who actually struggle to make a living there, raising their families and trying to get by...they would welcome more economic opportunities. I've never heard a Cutler native call the towers "hideous", either. They were part of the old Navy base that employed MANY of the people from Cutler. That's where I grew up and I liked the towers. Somehow I don't think the people of Cutler's feelings are at all hurt that you didn't want to buy property there...I can tell you really aren't they type of person who would fit there.

This will be great for other states. How much will it lower your electric bill? Not a penny. All the power produced will go out of state. Ask the people in Mars Hill how much their bills went down. It should be Mainers first and what's left over goes out of state.