CLIFTON, Maine — The town’s appeals board will hold a public hearing 6:30 p.m. Thursday to hear from those for and against the proposed Pisgah Mountain wind farm.
Town planners approved the $25 million, five-turbine project in October but shortly afterward the closest residents to the site filed an 11-point appeal.
The appeals board considered the appeal on Nov. 30 and scheduled the public hearing for Jan. 5 at the town hall.
In the appeal, Peter and Julie Beckford allege that the town’s land use ordinance lacks standards for determining or limiting tower height and that the 28-page ordinance pertaining to industrial wind facilities is void and illegal because it conflicts with the comprehensive plan.
They also say the planning board erred in accepting several reports and did not consider their business and pre-existing cabins as protected or occupied structures when applying the 4,000-foot setback.
The developer and partners in the project say the Beckfords’ appeal is without merit and that all of the issues raised in their appeal already have been addressed repeatedly in the permitting process.
BDN writer Dawn Gagnon contributed to this report.
Of course the project is illegal , but they want the federal subsidy money, even if your properties are ruined forever.
Sue THEM, bring them to court, raise hell to protect your rights.
Or, face the damage as has occurred in Lincoln, Vinahaven ,Mars Hill, Freedom and elsewhere.
If the town’s ordinance is being breached, get an abutter to bring the case to Superior Court.
Once the project goes in and the federal money is received, then the only alternative is to sue. The wind companies already foresee this and will do anything to get the project up. Fight with all your might and if you have to , SUE the town. Look in to getting a judge to give a court order to put the project on hold till things are sorted out. The sad part of all of this is that probably the representatives of the town have a conflict of interest somewhere along the way. The hard part is proving it. Woodstock’s Planning Board had a public meeting and when everyone left, thinking the meeting was over, the planning board unanimously voted to approve the project. One person on the board was the son and nephew of two of the leasee’s of land to the project and another member was on the Woodstock Nature Conservancy, who knew that $80,000 had to be paid to the town to counter the building of the project. Both in indirect conflict on interest and neither of them removed themselves on the vote. It is happening in to many small towns. When will our state representatives decide to stand up to the plate and bat for the people. It is the people of these towns that don’t find these things out until after the fact, I ask what is their recourse? Why is this being allowed? And why are people just accepting these projects at face value and not educating themselves on the facts? It is time to wake up and see through the smoke and mirrors. Call the facts as they are and people take a stand.
The Beckford’s have a lot to loose if no one wants to come to their business and with no business there is no income, no income and their lives are destroyed. Many years have gone into creating their business and one wind project could wipe them out forever. Many people across Maine have had their lives affected by the building of these wind farms with no clear safety distance, no one to enforce regulations and in most cases no regulations at all. I encourage the Beckford’s to bring their case before the town and not accept a negative out come. Climb the ladder of our judicial system and stand up for your rights.