Conservation Law Foundation
Sean Mahoney, Maine Advocacy Center Director
“Climate change is by far the greatest threat to Maine’s unique environment, including its forests and mountain habitats, and we are already beginning to see its impacts. We must move forward with this renewable energy project and more if we are to give future generations a fighting chance at avoiding severe climatic change.”
Maine Center for Economic Policy
Lisa Pohlmann, Associate Director
“The Maine Center for Economic Policy supports wind power as part of a long-term strategy to lessen our reliance on fossil fuels. We would like to see Maine become a regional leader in producing clean power, as part of our commitment to addressing the risk of climate change. The Black Nubble project could provide a significant step in that direction.”
American Lung Association of Maine
Ed Miller, Executive Director
“The American Lung Association of Maine has been an early and vocal public health advocate for wind power in our ongoing fight for healthy air. There has been more than enough talk about large-scale wind projects. The time has come to make an aggressive commitment to assuring clean power and healthy air. Every day of delay puts people’s health at greater risk. Lung disease is a $150 million dollar per year health problem in Maine. The reality is: we can’t afford NOT to take action.”
Mainewatch Institute
Sherry Huber, Board Chair
“Like others, I appreciate Maine’s natural beauty and fully recognize that wind power needs to be carefully sited. But I also know that global warming is real, wind power is part of a solution, and time is working against us. I support the Black Nubble Wind Farm and encourage opponents of the original project to declare victory in the protection of Redington, and join in the effort to move Maine forward with clean energy.”
Natural Resources Council of Maine
Pete Didisheim, Advocacy Director
“The revised Black Nubble project strikes the right balance, providing new clean power and protection of Maine’s last undeveloped and unprotected 4,000-ft peak. This sensible compromise provides an opportunity for parties on all sides of the original Redington Wind Farm controversy to find common ground. We need to do that to move forward as a state.”
Maine Energy Investment Corporation
Chuck Hazzard, Executive Director
"The revised proposal establishes the desired balance between the preservation of Maine’s western mountains and our need to enhance our renewable energy portfolio, to protect the quality of our air, and to reduce the negative impacts brought on by climate change."
Physicians for Social Responsibility/ Maine Chapter
Melissa Boyd, Executive Director
“PSR Maine supports the Black Nubble wind power project because it will help contribute to our energy security. We must reduce our dependence on energy sources that release the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. For public health, ecological health, and national security reasons, wind power makes sense in general, and the Black Nubble project makes sense for Maine.”
Independent Energy Producers of Maine
Dave Wilby, Executive Director
“Maine has a chance to reduce the cost of electricity, make it more reliable, and reduce environmental impacts by expanding our use of renewable resources such as wind power. And Mainers understand the economic and environmental benefits of wind projects such as Black Nubble, as demonstrated by the overwhelming support that wind power receives in public opinion polls.”
Ed Holt & Associates
Ed Holt, President
“As long as Maine residents use energy, we make choices about which environmental impacts we will accept, whether consciously or not. We should not allow ourselves to believe that there are no adverse impacts from other, less visible or more distant power generators. Fewer public health and environmental impacts will be caused by the Black Nubble project than the fossil fuel generators located out of sight. State policy supports wind power. Surveys show that Maine consumers support wind power. For these and other reasons, I support the Black Nubble project.”
Maine Interfaith Power and Light
David Platt, Board President
“While Maine Interfaith Power and Light has been an ardent supporter of the wind power farm originally proposed for Redington Pond Range and Black Nubble Mountain, we also enthusiastically support reasonable and decisive actions to generate clean, renewable wind power in Maine. A Black Nubble-only wind power facility represents such an action, and one which we support as a meaningful and significant step toward addressing global warming and positioning Maine among leaders in wind power generation.”
Chewonki Foundation
Peter Arnold, Sustainability Coordinator
“The Chewonki Foundation supports the development of wind power in Maine as a a way to secure renewably generated electricity and reduce our need to burn fossil fuels. Maine Mountain Power's Black Nubble Wind Farm project has our support. Information about the project will be added to our Renewable Energy/ Global Warming lessons."
Maine Council of Churches, Environmental Justice Program
Anne D. Burt, Director
“We are compelled by a covenant with future generations to do all that we can today to preserve the health of the earth and its ecosystems. This means, not only reducing our own consumption of electricity, but also supporting sensible renewable energy projects like Black Nubble Wind Farm that will provide kilowatts with the least harmful effects to the natural environment and the surrounding communities.”
Maine Public Health Association
Richard Veilleux, MPHA President
“There is a positive correlation between air pollution created by the burning of fossil fuels and human health impacts including cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, asthma, reduced lung function, lung cancer and premature death. Wind power produces no health- damaging air pollution or acid rain. Nor does it produce carbon dioxide--the main greenhouse gas now undermining the stability of the world's atmosphere, therefore increasing access to alternative energy sources such as wind power can only improve the health of Maine citizens and reduce health care costs in Maine.
Jan Pierson
Co-author of A Birder’s Guide to Maine
“As a professional birder, I am particularly concerned about the long-term threat of climate change and the impacts on bird populations caused by erratic weather events and a general warming trend. We have no real option but to take actions now to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel, for environmental as well as geopolitical reasons. The Black Nubble compromise would protect Redington Mountain, in conjunction with construction of a significant new source of renewable energy. That’s a good package, worthy of broad support.”
Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce
Chris Hall,
Vice President of Governmental Affairs
“The emergence of this scaled-back project is a triumph of compromise over polarization on the very important issue of renewable energy. It is easy to talk about why we need more clean power, but it is another thing all together to actually get some built. This compromise moves us in the direction of actually getting more wind power built in Maine. I know that there are many Maine businesses, in the greater Portland region and across the state, which would like to increase their purchases of renewable energy. Electricity generated from winds blowing across Black Nubble could help them achieve that goal.”
Maine Public Advocate
Richard Davies
“Diversifying our generation mix is essential to the long-term affordability of electricity in Maine. Wind power is the most cost-effective new renewable source we have in Maine. This project will play a valuable role in reducing our dependence on costly and polluting fossil fuels.”
Jackson Laboratory
Dr. Charles Hewett,
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
“As a former Executive Director of the Maine Audubon Society, I am well aware of the balance that must be struck between development and environmental protection. The Black Nubble project, like any development, would have environmental impacts. But the environmental consequences of not doing this project may be far worse. I sincerely hope that Maine Mountain Power’s application will be approved so that this project can move forward.”
David Vail
Adams-Catlin Professor of Economics, Bowdoin College
“Glimpsing wind power arrays on distant ridgelines is a powerful, and in my view elegant, reminder of our collective commitment to a sustainable economic future. Maine Mountain Power deserves our appreciation for relinquishing the potentially profitable Redington windpower site. NRCM deserves our gratitude for its principled search for a solution that builds Maine’s renewable energy capacity while preserving a very special place.”
University of Southern Maine Sustainability Office
Dudley Greeley
“All seven of the University of Maine System schools and many of the other campuses of the Maine Green Campus Consortium have pledged to reduce or stop their emissions of climate-disrupting gases. Maine’s colleges and universities need affordable access to sustainably-generated power or they will not meet their commitments to use cleaner power. The University of Southern Maine Sustainability Office supports placing wind turbines at appropriate, select locations in the state, including Black Nubble, and recognizes the obligation we have to use energy responsibly.”