CARRABASSETT VALLEY – The second half of a public hearing on a proposed expansion of the expedited wind power permitting area was held Wednesday. Rather than the previously proposed 631-acre expansion, the company is asking for 156 acres to be added to the expedited wind power area.
This is the first attempt to add land to the expedited permitting area, which was set aside by the governor’s wind power task force and passed into law in April 2008. Much of northern and western Maine lies within that area. That expansion request has been accompanied with an attempt to expand the 44-turbine project located on Kibby Mountain and Kibby Range.
TransCanada, the Canadian-based company that is developing the, filed a development permit application with Land Use Regulation Commission on Dec. 22, 2009. If approved, the expansion would consist of 15 Vestas V90 turbines on the Sisk Mountain ridge line in the Chain of Ponds Township, located to the west and immediately adjacent to the Kibby project. The turbines would produce 45 megawatts, utilizing a new substation and 325 feet of transmission line to run the power through the Kibby project’s infrastructure.
There are three pieces to the criteria through which LURC will judge the proposed expansion. Firstly, the addition of land to the expedited area must be a logical geographic extension of the original land. This prevents a company from leapfrogging its way across the state, from expansion to expansion. Secondly, the proposed expansion must meet the state wind power goals, which LURC has interpreted as meaning that energy production of the potential project should outweigh the impact. Finally, the expansion must ensure that the ‘principal values of the state’s goals are not compromised.’ Over the course of the hearing, this concept was defined as relating to Maine’s environmental, visual, and cultural values.
Dana Verrill LLP’s Juliet Browne, representing the interest of TransCanada, said the ridge the company wants to develop is already partially contained within the expedited area. Experts in wildlife ecology and visual design, testifying on behalf of TransCanada, maintained that any impact would be minimal, and that the local birch forest could be largely preserved. Selectmen and residents from northern Franklin County spoke of the company’s influence on their communities, both in terms of positive economic impact.
Others spoke out against the expansion of the expedited area, stating that a proposed 15-turbine project expansion to the 44-turbine wind power project on Kibby Mountain and Kibby Range would decimate local tree growth, damage surrounding wetlands and put local endangered species, such as the Northern Bog Lemming, at risk. A number of those testifying against the expansion suggested that TransCanada was attempting to sway the LURC board through a ‘bait and switch’ tactic; proposing a small increase to the expedited area in preparation for an eventual larger one.
The 15-turbine addition to the Kibby project could move forward without an expansion to the expedited wind power area, company representatives said, although the turbine placement would be less optimal along the Sisk Mountain ridge.
The Maine Audubon Society and Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) both said they supported half of the project’s expansion. While they support the placement of the eight northernmost turbines, they stated that they were opposed to the proposed placement of the other seven.
“Climate change is a serious, high-stakes threat to Maine’s wildlife, which is why we support aspects of this proposal, and why we support clean, renewable energy in general,” Maine Audubon Executive Director Ted Koffman said, as part of a prepared statement. “However, we cannot support the elements of TransCanada’s proposal that would threaten high-value habitat. Unique and uncommon natural features run right through the middle of this area, which also includes a rare, sub-alpine wildlife community and a large wetland habitat that sustains an animal on Maine’s threatened species list. Clearly, this isn’t an appropriate location for commercial wind power.”
LURC will still hear public testimony until April 26, with a 10-day rebuttal period to follow. After that, the board will render their decision.
