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Redington Mountain would be protected while wind power would be generated on Black Nubble. photo by Pete Didisheim |
Maine Mountain Power has submitted a revised application for their wind power project in Franklin County. The scaled-back project would produce 54 MW of clean energy, more than any other wind power installation currently operating in New England. The developer has committed to permanently protect the more ecologically-sensitive Redington Mountain from wind development as part of the revised project. Although the Black Nubble Wind Farm has earned broad support from more than 20 organizations, it still faces strong opposition.
That is why we are asking for your help.
Please: Write a letter in support of the project, and address it to: Maine Land Use Regulation Commission; Attention: Catherine Carroll; 22 State House Station; Augusta, Maine 04333 (or email it to LURC@maine.gov); and/or attend a public hearing on the evening of September 19th and/or 20th to testify in support of the project at Sugarloaf Ski Area. Background about the project is provided below.
- Clean Power for Maine: The Black Nubble Wind Farm would produce as much clean power as is used by 21,500 Maine households annually. It would generate more renewable energy than all but five of Maine’s 102 hydropower dams. Maine law requires a 10% increase in renewable energy by 2017, a goal which likely cannot be achieved except through wind power.
- Reducing Dependence on Fossil Fuels: New England currently depends on fossil fuels for 60 percent of our electrical power generation. Wind power is part of the long-term strategy to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
- Broad Support for Wind Power: More than 20 organizations have endorsed the Black Nubble Wind Farm, including the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Maine Lung Association, Conservation Law Foundation, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Maine Chamber of Commerce. These groups represent more than 75,000 people, more than 5,000 Maine businesses, more than 600 congregations and 15 Maine colleges and universities. Public opinion polls show that Maine people strongly support wind power development.
- Addressing Climate Change: Maine needs clean power to help reduce the threat of climate change. Wind power is the only utility-scale form of new, renewable power generation that is ready for significant expansion. Wind power is being deployed throughout the world as a leading strategy to replace carbon-based forms of power generation that are a major contributing source to climate change.
- Protecting Redington Mountain: As part of the revised project, Redington Pond Range would be protected from wind power development. This would be a very significant accomplishment, since it is the last 4,000-foot peak in Maine that has not yet been protected.
- No Significant Wildlife Impacts: There is no documented habitat on Black Nubble for the Northern Bog Lemming, a species of significant concern when the original Redington Wind Farm proposal was considered by LURC.
- No Significant Impacts on the Bicknell’s Thrush: Dr. Jeff Wells, an accomplished bird expert, has concluded that the project will not have a significant impact on the Bicknell’s thrush, a bird that has been broadly identified as a conservation priority. The project will involve only 64 acres of total forest clearing, which is less than 0.02% of existing habitat for the species. More importantly, the greatest immediate threat to the survival of the Bicknell’s Thrush comes from the loss of wintering habitat, primarily in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Jamaica. The greatest long-term threat to survival of the Bicknell’s Thrush in the United States comes from the projected impact of global warming. Modeling results predict that global warming could result in a 96% reduction in area of balsam fir habitat in the eastern U.S. within 100 years, which would mean the virtual elimination of Bicknell’s Thrush habitat, and the species, from the U.S.
- Small Impact on Subalpine Forest: The Black Nubble Wind Farm is expected to result in only 64 acres of habitat impact above 2700’ elevation. This amounts to less than 0.05% of the 139,201 acres of land above 2700’ in Maine which is zoned by LURC as a Mountain Area Protected Subdistrict (P-MA).
- Impacts Would Be Much Less Than Prior Logging: Since 1974, more than 21,300 acres of forestland have been harvested in LURC’s PM-A zone (above 2700’), with more than 4,550 acres cut in Redington Township alone. The organizations that currently oppose the Black Nubble Wind Farm did not object to any of the permits for these thousands of acres of prior cutting, which dwarf the 64 acres that would be cleared for the Black Nubble project.
- Small Impacts Compared with Other Forms of Energy: Fossil fuel use, not wind power, is the major cause of damage to mountains. Black Nubble Wind Farm would have visual impacts for those who do not want to see wind turbines in Maine’s mountains, but such impacts need to be weighed in comparison with the harm caused by our existing dependence on coal, oil, and natural gas. Maine’s mountains are currently experiencing impacts from fossil fuel use, in the form of habitat degradation caused by acid rain, toxic pollution, and visual impacts due to ozone haze. Over the long-term, Maine’s mountains are expected to experience widespread habitat loss and species impacts due to climate change. Maine’s electricity consumers get more than 11% of their electricity from coal, including from coal that has been mined in West Virginia and is burned at the Merrimack Plant in Bow, New Hampshire. It is thus relevant to consider impacts associated with coal use. More than 470 mountains have been destroyed in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee through mountain-top removal of coal. According to the U.S. EPA, mountaintop coal removal has caused the destruction of more than 800 square miles of mountains and 1,000 miles of streams, with widespread impacts on wildlife, fish, and terrestrial habitat. Mountaintop removal of coal could cause a projected loss of more than 1.4 million acres in Appalachia by 2020. The Black Nubble project will require the clearing of only 64 acres.
Now is the time to speak out in support of clean, renewable power generated from the wind that blows across Maine. Please send a letter of support today for the Black Nubble Wind Farm, or attend one of the two public hearings that will be held on September 19th and 20th. For more information: please contact Sara Lovitz at slovitz@nrcm.org or (207)622-3101 ext. 205.