CLIFTON, Maine — With the push for renewable energy part of the national agenda and the Maine Public Utilities Commission directing local utilities to enter into long-term contracts with Community-based Renewable Energy projects, it’s no surprise that small industrial wind projects such as the one planned for Pisgah Mountain are popping up around the state.
The PUC has directed Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. to enter into three 20-year contracts for renewable energy projects — one with Pisgah Mountain LLC, the others with Jonesport Wind LLC and Lubec Wind.
Bangor resident Paul Fuller and his wife, Sandy, his brother-in-law Mike Smith, and Clifton residents John and Eileen Williams make up Pisgah Mountain LLC.
“It’s community wind,” Smith said. “This is fairly new. I think it’s something that is going to have a bigger impact in the future. It’s small-scale and it can work.”
When Fuller first approached town officials in early 2009 about his plans to build a wind farm on his 270-acre Pisgah Mountain property, there was nothing on the town’s books to stop him.
Did Fuller and his partners try to take advantage and quickly slip in a site plan application? No, according to Fuller.
“Steamrolling people in the state of Maine is what other folks can do, but it’s not something I’m willing to do,” he said last week.
His actions said a lot to town officials, according to Eric Johns, chairman of the Clifton Planning Board.
“It said that he was interested in working with the town,” Johns said. “If asked to describe it, I would say he was being community-friendly.”
The Fullers purchased their land from G&D Properties, a timber company that continues to own about 1,300 acres of the mountain.
“They had cut the wood off it and were willing to sell it,” Paul Fuller said.
The Fullers had originally thought about building a wind farm on property they own in Otis, but it was nowhere near a transmission line and had environmental issues, he said.
“What I needed was a transmission line that had the capacity on property without wetlands and wildlife issues,” Fuller said. “We chose Pisgah and it has proven to be a very good site. It’s a tested wind resource.”
The wind farm partners have an agreement with ISO-New England, the operator of the region’s bulk power system and wholesale electricity markets, to connect to nearby Line 66, which has the capacity to handle the 9 megawatts of electricity that will be generated by the five turbines, Fuller said.
“Local Bangor Hydro customers will be getting this wind power,” Smith said.
Shortly after buying the land, Fuller approached the town about putting up a meteorological tower to see if there was enough wind to harvest. While the tower collected data, town planners worked on creating industrial wind energy rules.
Three years ago, “we weren’t very knowledgeable about wind,” Johns said. “We asked [Fuller] to refrain from putting in an application, to accommodate the town, and he said he’d wait until after the ordinance was done.”
Creating the 28-page wind farm ordinance took a year. What town planners created was one of the strictest wind ordinances in the state — with 4,000-foot setbacks and ambient sound-level ceilings that are well below the state standards, Johns said.
In the first year or so, Fuller scaled back his project from 17 to five turbines, mainly because of the cost and also because the wind farm partners changed the type of turbine — from a General Motors variety to a quieter one made by Vestas — to cut down on the ambient noise, Fuller said.
As planners prepared to present the new wind rules to residents, several locals led by Crystal Phillips and Peter and Julie Beckford started the Clifton Taskforce on Wind to oppose the project.
Each issue brought up by opponents — setbacks, sound levels, blade glint, wildlife impacts, decommissioning the units — was fairly addressed by town planners, Johns said.
“I feel like we have bent over backward to be more than fair and obliged all the parties involved,” he said.
The planning board unanimously approved the estimated $25 million, five-turbine wind farm in October. The Beckfords and Phillips asked the town’s board of appeals to review the planning board’s decision to see if they followed the letter of the law. The panel decided Wednesday to deny their appeal.
“I feel like we are under siege and have been for a couple years,” Peter Beckford said. “It’s not right. Two-thirds of our land gets effectively annexed. Their setback covers most of our land.”
Fuller said it has been a lengthy process to get the project approved and stressed that Pisgah Mountain LLC has done everything by the rules.
The towers are expected to generate approximately $295,000 annually in property taxes and another $5,000 per megawatt through a community benefit offered by the partners that adds another $45,000 annually to town coffers.
“We did ask that 90 percent of that … go to the taxpayer,” Fuller said. “We wanted the benefit to go to the people.”
John Williams, who is the grandson of Leon Williams, operator of the old R. Leon Williams lumber mill, said he supports all business developments, especially ones that will bring renewable energy. One of the five turbines will be erected on his abutting property.
“I am for any business coming to town,” he said. “It is a nice location to do something positive with.”
His title may be developer, Fuller said, but all he wants is to be a renewable energy farmer.
“I’m just a little guy in Bangor,” he said. “And I want to farm the land.”
Fuller said “All I want to do is farm the land.” What he should have said is “All I want to do is reap the profit from unreasonable tax and electric rate payer subsidies from an ineffective energy source.” In addition, he should add “I don’t live anywhere near the wind turbine, heck I don’t even live in the Town, so I am not wooried about noise and reduced property values.” His brother-in-law Smith also is less the fully informative when he alludes to the fact that Mainers will use this electricity. I am sure no one at Bangor Hydro could gurantee that a single Maine household would directly receive that energy. The energy goes into a system that may wind up anywhere.
So whats your unbiased view of the “farm”? Don’t keep us in suspense.
Nailed it!
Wind power is a bunch of hot air … the taxpayers will ultimately tire of funneling money into these projects
Given the rate at which the young, smart and or wealthy are leaving this State, I have to believe that industrial projects like wind farms, toxic dumps and charcoal plants are only going to become more popular. We should probably start to make peace with that notion.
There is no way that this could look like a wise investment without federal i.e. taxpayer subsidies.
Does this contract include a price that will be paid for the electricity? If so, perhaps Mr. Fuller could share that with us. We’ve been told that wind power is going to reduce rates. This is a perfect opportunity to show us the money. If he’s going to be supplying Bangor Hydro with electricity that’s going to lower ratepayers’ bills, I would think that he would be trumpeting it from the top of Pisgah Mountain.
Bangor Hydro Electric has entered into a 20-year PPA (mandated by the Maine PUC) that starts with an “energy” rate of 9.3 cents per kilwatt hour. The average wholesale energy rate in Maine was between 4.0 cents and 4.5 cents in 2011. Rate payers will be paying more than double for Mr. Fuller’s electricity.
Yes
What is the rate per KWH, I bet it isnt competive? Why are we locking in this non-sense for 20 yrs?
If these windfarms are so competitive, let them build them and compete to put power on the grid, and if they arent competitive, they stay off line, pure and simple. No need for a 20 year contract. Lepage should fire most of these donkeys on the PUC.
I love the fact that he continues to ‘paint’ this tax dollar grab as a bucolic “community wind” project, yet the Fullers are building this project a long darned ways from THEIR community. It’s all wonderful as long as they’re not ever built in the developers’ community. Talk about the ultimate NIMBYs. And just how is it a “community project” when many in the community oppose it?
And to the BDN staff writer, I don’t believe General Motors makes wind turbines – they make cars and trucks. One simple google search/fact check would have shown that what you should have written was General Electric.
With the treasury grants and production subsidies going away, it’s not certain this project will ever get built. Beckford’s and others, keep your chins up.
Does “Community Wind Project” now equate to “Small Wind Project”? Because I see nothing that says that the Town of Clifton – or its residents – will benefit: Will there be free power to the local school? The term “Community Wind Project” should be reserved for projects owned by the town — all wind projects are located in some community or other. Come on Mr. Fuller – tell us how this project will HELP Clifton. How does this qualify as a Community project? Has about as much truth to it as the term “Farm the Land”
I’m sure Bangor Hydro (Canadian owned) is chomping at the bit to lower our rates. And the Utilities Commission (has nothing to do with the public) will force them to do it.
The USA has lost it. We are slowly being taken over by the Canadians.
John Williams …all for any projects like this..what do you have against the outdoors and people like the Beckfords who live a low carbon lifestyle and mind their own business? Why does your view of “property rights” ignor others’ rights? If these rich Bangor developer NIMBYs want to ruin others’ property values, they should buy them out. Nobody else would buy so close to a winddump. It is not a windfarm but an industrial landfill. People have a constitutional right to pursuit of happiness which cannot happen when they cannot sleep at night from the whoomp whoomp like in Mars Hill where 17 lawsuits were recently settled.
“I’m just a little guy in Bangor, and I want to farm the land.”
Child, please.
Funny that THIS story comes out a day after Beckfords’. And on a Sunday.
Fishy.
Just more staged reporting by the (ever supportive of wind power projects) editorial staff at BDN.
Ditto…follow their biased coverage of the Frankfort fight. We need an objective news source in Maine. Just the facts Mamm, just the facts. Lose the adjectives.
generate 9 mw?? how big are the 5 turbines? sound modleing maps show 40-45 decibals at 4-5,000 feet from turbines.
What a horrible waste when we are already exporting half the energy produced in Maine and what a horribly huge waste of money.