Nice one folks. Let's ride this outfit right out of the state because we don't "know enough about them". We don't need any development. We're doing just fine with the tourism, lobster, and papermill industries...aren't we?

Would seem appropriate to put a Hold on granting any permits until receiving some communication from the N.Y. State Attorney General's office regarding the status and nature of their investigation. As to finding out more about wind farms, how about contacting T. Boone Pickins. He's certainly an authority. But other than that - if we base development decisions on what most places and "respected authorities" in Maine know about, we're back to planting potatoes and logging and the fishing industry. We're right on top of the financial sector there, are't we?

Would seem appropriate to contact the N.Y. State Attorney General's Office for the purpose of obtaining some information on the nature and status of the investigation - and to place a Hold on granting any permits until that information is obtained. As to becoming more knowledgeable regarding wind farms, how about contacing T. Boone Pickins? He's certaining considered an authority and would probably share information. BUT, if people in Lincoln feel that people in Maine need to know more about new ideas before allowing them in the state, we'll be in the planting potatoes, logging/lumber camp, and fishing industry business for our sole support. And we're rolling in high dollars there, aren't we?

Somebody just have not pulled their crap together at all, it seems. If those opponents of wind turbines don't have anythbing to say now...how can they make arguments at the Academy in this upcoming meeting? Wind power generation has been apparent for at least the last 20 years! Don't you think that someone would have information on the environmental impact by now? Research is the simple answer, and seems not too many people have done it. I have not heard of any impact on the wildlife, or the turbines themselves, How can turbines affect wildlife walking on the ground, when the "business end" of the turbines are from 75 feet to over 155-feet in the air! My turbine has been working at my home for three weeks and not one single, solitary bird has flown into the blades...and of course, maybe there are some people in the Lincoln area who think in archaic terms, that the turbine propellers oprate like a reciprocating aircraft engine whose propellers spin so fast you cannot see them...not so. At no time, have I ever heard of wind turbines disturbing the wildlife, natural resources such as the woods, fish, waters, or whatever. Plum Creek's proposal is the one people should have created a moratorium on...

John, The research has been done, just go to Google Scholar and type in "wind farms birds" and you'll discover a slew of scientific papers dealing with the topic.

Why is it that no one ever wants to see a change??? Several times I have gone to mars Hill and obsereved the wind towers for a long period of time just sitting to see just what people are complaining about...For one thing you very seldom hear very much noise at all you can even lay down and actually go to sleep and it does not even bother you.........As far as animals go....I see a lot of birds flying south in their migration pattern and never once did any one of them git hit with a blade that was slowly turning...........I saw deer and also some foxes and neither specie was afraid of the wind towers........I have been to the Stetson Mt site and have watched them work and have seen birds flying and also observed deer and even a moose come out to see just what was going on and they was not even afraid.............Sooooooooooooooo instead of doing all the complaining why not go to the meetings and see what has to be said and also listen to the wind tower people and really listen to see just what they have to actually say instead of constantly complaining like you all are doing all the time.............If I had a choice I'd even have a wind tower put in my yard then let all the people complain but no one offered to put one here so I will go else where and watch the wind make the towers turn n enjoy them...............................

Just another reason Maine is falling behind the rest of the country . We need to show that we are thinking of the future by diversifying how and where we get our power from. These sound like the same people that shot down all the big dams claiming Maine generates enough of our own power already. This is the time to take advantage of the opportunity to build these turbines. If we wait will the opportunity be offered to us, and how much more will it cost? We should be embracing this change as a great step forward for our state and our town.

I had the chance to speak with some of these anti-windfarm people at the initial public awareness meeting hosted by First Wind and there were a few in particular pretty far out in left field. One barged into our discussion with the First Wind rep and insisted on disrupting our discussion by demanding a more public forum for his rantings and his desire to become the center of attention. Another person was indicating it would be beneficial to have "volunteers" go into the woods and "discover" endangered plant and wildlife that could prevent construction of the turbines. It will be an uphill battle to fight this mentality .

These same people strike me as the type that if Christo was coming to Lincoln to cover the hills in pink bedsheets would shout from the roof tops about the grand art that was to be bestowed on Lincoln.

Anyone taking a drive to Mars Hill can experience for themselves what the turbines will be like in real life. Don't rely on the words of these others to make up your mind for you.

Yes, I am going to be looking at 6-8 of these turbines, (amazing products of man's genius and ingenuity), every day I look out the front windows of my house and I look forward to it.

I for one am looking forward to the future not hiding in the dark ages.

Wonder why the ME Attorney General's office isn't interested in investigating First Wind? Bribery of public officials? Big rush to build them all over the state ...Then is an oops going to be sufficient for ruining the tourism industry...increases in electricity bills and decrease in property values for what ? First Wind and Gov. Baldaci to make some money on the backs of Mainers? Dept. of DEP could not tell me the noise decible level for Stetson Mt. ...at the same time saying there has been no increase in noise decible levels in ME to accomodate the wind farm industry. Dept. of DEP says there have been no formal complaints of noise in Mars Hill. There had been 10 complaints. Mars Hill has had 2 bogus noise studies done ..paid for by First Wind which proved nothing. An outside engineer said the studies were bogus. Go to windaction.org and read about the latest "accident" in this unregulated tax subsidized totally criminal boondoggle.

Lincoln 's attorney representing the town in the wind farm debacle will be paid for by First wind.....the same firm that represents First Wind will represent the town of Lincoln. Will Lincoln get a $150,000.00 fire truck? Mars Hill got a donation of $5,000.00 for their fire dept.. But of course the town manager sold his house and rented property to First Wind.Then gave the go ahead for the Mars Hill wind farm. formerly UPC formerly Evergreen LLC.The Stetson Mt. wind farm project met very little opposition from locals. LURC was "in the bag." appointed by gov. Baldaci. Their volunteer fire dept. gets nothing. Bribery of public officials is one of the charges brought against First Wind in NY.

First of all, if you are not familiar with Lincoln Lakes, keep your comments

to yourselves. There are many sincere people in our area who understand

what is taking place and want to stop it.

There are many people who have been lured into the myth of wind farms being

good. You owe it to yourself to explore the real facts of this issue. First,

this is not a "farm", a pastoral term used to sugar-coat what is really a

sprawling industrial site.

Second, these are not your friendly little wind generators that allow some

people to live off the grid. These are typically 280 foot gigantic towers,

with turbines the size of a bus sitting on top, with blades that have a

wingspan greater than a Boeing 747.

Third, when they might spin enough to produce kilowatts (typically less than

30% of the time according to statistics from the US Energy Information

Office), all the electricity goes out of state, not to Mainers. The

guaranteed subsidy of 2 cents per kilowatt hour from the Federal government

goes to the out of state investors, too. Wind energy is the most expensive

to produce and even if ISO New England, operators of the grid, don't want to

accept it, they must do so, by law. When they do, this intermittent

so-called "green" energy influx means ISO New England must throttle back the

base line facilities, actually causing a rise in air pollution, as they are

forced to operate at a level different from the efficiency rate for which

they were designed.

Fourth, hundreds of people live year round or have seasonal camps directly

on the 15 lakes and ponds in Lincoln, Lee, and Burlington. The vista of the

rolling ridges amongst the lakes will be dominated by a forest of steel,

with flashing lights 24/7. Everone knows how sound carries across water and

it is commonly acknowledged that industrial wind generators produce

troublesome levels of decibels. It is not fair that hundreds of property

owners will no longer have the ambiance they sought in the beautiful Lincoln

Lakes Region once they are surrounded by a sprawling industrial site. They

will see a decline in property value and a dramatic downturn in market value

for their properties.

Lastly, the people of the Lincoln Lakes Region are blessed with the beauty

of the ridges and lakes that dramatically offset the presence of the pulp

mill and its odor. Permanently erecting a forest of steel across the

ridgelines of Rollins Mt. and Rocky Dundee will destroy the image of the

Lincoln Lakes Region. It is far too negative a trade-off for what is

essentially a government subsidized scam for First Wind to profit at the

expense of rural Maine.

One final comment. Only part of this is NIMBY. But my reply to those who

cry NIMBY too quickly, I would like you to not be able to enjoy your home,

lose your property value, and be mesmerized by the 385 foot tower in your

front yard. If you accept this, then, and only then, can you criticize the

people of the Lincoln Lakes Region.

Thanks, "Focus541"...I'll do that. (Really). I bought my turbine out of personal desire. I really don't care about the birds that might fly into the blades. It's their fault. I have two blinking red aviation lights on top that blink 24/7...if the birds are so stupid they don't know what they are, or what turbine blades do, then the birds need education...they can get whipped to death, for all I care. "mountainman"...you should work for the Bangor Daily News, and put your name in the web division right under Pat LaMarches' name...you exaggerate so much, you, too, should run for Vice President of the United States! Wow, guy...you could even own your own casino someday...the Indians already do!

Sounds to me like there is enough hot air in Lincoln to build hundreds of windmills.

Mountain people, travel westward toward California and Arizona and see the "wind farms". They are more attractive than the telephone poles and electrical wires here that tilt at near eye level. The wind farms are quiet from ground level and the blades move so slowly most of the time that birds use them as perches or easily pass through or around them. Wind farms are certainly less noticeable than electical grid girders. And they will reduce energy costs, energy dependance on such personality types as Chavez and the MidEast oil barons who can bounce us like yoyos. Americans used to be proud of their independance - but there have always been the obstinate Mainers afraid of chance and any idea west of Waterville.So is it any wonder that so many of our young educated young people leave the state to find a living? Part-time out of staters don't contribute enough money to keep the year-rounders alive and warm without breaking their backs as well as the bank. How about the property taxes those of us who live here year-round have to pay to keep state services afloat, northern roads plowed, bridges and roads rebuilt, and we certainly don't want to talk about all the subsidies for those who don't, won't or can't work or haven't got any education beyond high school (if that). Am I the least concerned about the part-time vacationers and their property values? Not the least when I get my Bangor Hydro bill or my winter heating oil bill or my annual property tax bill or my state income tax bill! Bring on whatever is going to make this state affordable!

Thanks, "glenna", your post is accurate. In some of the reports accompanied by photos of Bangor, I have observers at my home always interested in seeing the "great" United States, and their towns and cities. Comments, anyone? "How come these poles are falling down?" "How come these poles are bent and breaking?" "Look at the roads...they are a mess...too small." "Look at all the wires in the poles...looks like what we had here (in the Philippines) years ago before we installed underground electrical and service wiring, and how come no satellite serice for TV's instead of old-fashioned cable?" "Why does not Maine already have wind power like in California, and other states?" How can you answer these questions and comments...the problems are obvious. A lot of people across the world travel...and travel a lot. Even in the US...as "glenna" wrote. Peole see for themselves - then understand the issues, and receive good feedback on concerns. Wind farms certainly are apparent out west...they have been going for some years past. But if people take their time to consider some options they never before encountered with wind turbines, for instance, let them take the time...but don't wait too long. Maine is almost in the dust of time.

It would be a real shame if a small group of people AGAIN put an end to the potential of economic prosperity of others because of their "not in my backyard" mentality. It would be a real shame to loose millions of dollars of tax revenue. 92% of the people of Maine are in favor of Windmill electric generaltion.

Well, Well, Well,

The personal insults don't really get us too far do they? How about a civil conversation here. There is a lot of information to go around. The more we know the more we are able to make intelligent decisions about the long term energy strategy for the State of Maine.

I'm all for change, and I fully support alternative energies. When I started hearing about the windmills coming into the state I was all for it. I thought that it was a progressive move for us. However, the more I studied the data that is available, the more questions I had. There are really some serious issues in regard to the industrial, grid connected turbines. These do not provide us with the energy independence that we are looking for. The reason being is that because the wind is so variable, there are some serious spikes to the system. When this happens, the conventional power plants must purchase the energy, by law. When this happens the power plant must be taken off line. They cannot be shut down, because in the next moment when the wind dies down, that power supply must be immediately available. So it sits there idling, burning coal, or natural gas or biomass while it waits for the wind to die down. What people do not understand is that, currently, in the system that we have, wind power is unreliable and volitile. It has been compared to a tow truck following your car around waiting for it to break down. In our current system, wind power is a DUPLICATION of power that is needed in the grid. This is why when wind comes into an area, electric bills go up, not down. And keeping those conventional power plants idling, does nothing to decrease greenhouse gasses, just like your car idling. So as we install more and more windmills. we need more and more conventional plants to back them up.

I have data from 4000 windmills in California over 15 years of production, from 1998 through 2006. What the data shows is that the actual production of elctricity in megawatts, is between 14% and 19% of the quoted installed capacity of the wind turbines. And much of this wind generated electricity is produced at non peak demand. Only about 6% is produced at peak time. This is a huge sample size, and the statistics provided are directly from the company SCE Renewable Division.

Wind power is most effective in reducing CO2 emmisions when it is NOT connected to the grid system. Community and residential sized windmills should be the solution for Maine. They will keep our resources here in the state, and using smaller units to directly help the people of Maine is more cost effective and something that most people could be proud of.

And one last thought, the wind maps show most of Maine as poor (the lowest rating), except for the coast and the tallest mountains. Most of the interior is poor to marginal for wind production. Let's put em offshore, far enough out to not be a nuisanace, and capture the tide in their bases. A bonus is the guide to navigation that they could provide to shipping traffic offshore. At the very least, they should go where the wind is.

Hey Glenna,

My ancestors go back to the 1700's here in Maine, and I was born and raised here. I have also driven across country and seen the wind turbines in both northern and southern California. There are no residences of any sort near any of them. I take exception to your insinuation that it's part-time vacationers who don't understand what it means to support our infrastructure through taxes. and that is out of staters that are causing a ruckus in regards to these wind turbines. I am not an uneducated Mainer. I do believe in taking chances. I just don't like being ripped off by socialized power companies, which is what they are when they are fully subsidized by our tax dollars just to keep them afloat. I take pride in my roots here in Maine. I also take pride in my little camp and what I did to get that rustic place on the lake with no power and an outhouse. I am paying just as much property tax and utility bills as any one else here. How about getting down off your high horse and have a real conversation. Stop judging people that you don't know, with histories and motivations that you are not taking the time to understand.

Hey Folks,

I don't live up there, but I live in the most windiest /sunniest places in the US--

We are a poor community, yet we have no vibrant businesses--people here live on social services and Walmart jobs--

So why don't our city fathers invite solar and wind power folks in for a clean business to support our local economy--

We also have great views and a beautiful place to visit and see--

But a green business would be helpful to our ailing economy, not spoil the views and give us a boost--especially one that is alternative energy source--

If you plan it right, it won't spoil your tourism, and you can your families some decent work and related businesses that would help support your local economy--

You owe it to your kids to provide them with some business base besides the failing paper mill industry--which is also too bad, and no ones fault but dependence on foreign oil--

Maybe improving the business base throught the windmills would bolster other community needed services, like expansion on your recreation center and other things--

You can't keep squeezing the property owner with increased property taxes when the housing market is disintegrating either--

Thanks for your time,

artemisia7777

Nothing new here. The welfare recipients who sold or leased their land to Firstwind are in favor of the project and the folks who have to look at the industrial cancers are against it. The Phillippines guy probably thinks it is OK for the corporations there to kill orangutans for fun and burn the rain forests for commercial growth. Let them do whatever in the name of business, right? Not to mention illegally logging mahogany. We are not going to sit on our butts and get steamrolled by these Massachusetts scammers. To glenna... Research T. Boone Pickens. He is a Texas oil man turned corporate raider turned natural gas promoter. We will be kicking Texans out of office soon and I hope America will have better sense than to ever listen to them again. They are all crooks. Maine will survive nicely without windmills. Put them offshore where they will produce 10 times more power and our inland environment is not ruined. Then everyone can get along until the next stupid mandate from our politicians.

Dear Mr Unhappy Camper, Windmill are coming to Maine whether you like it or not. You may have to move out to keep your happy status.

Maine is a behind the times state. Windmills are everywhere all over the world. I guess you've been out voted. Most of the world already knows they work.