Maine’s Committee on Energy Utilities and Technology (EUT) held a public hearing on Tuesday on a bill which could strike another blow against the controversial Aroostook Renewable Energy Gateway.
[RELATED: The Heavily Criticized “Aroostook Renewable Gateway” Suffers Another Setback…]
“The opposition of this transmission line was not specific to any political party. It is a bipartisan issue, when it comes to threatening someone’s livelihood, it does not matter how they vote at the ballot box,” said Rep. Scott Cyrway (R-Albion)
LD 2205, proposed by Rep. Cyrway, would require a detailed feasibility study to be performed by an independent contractor to examine the proposed Aroostook Renewable Gateway energy transmission line.
“The purpose of a feasibility study is simple, to explore the most effective ways to reach our energy goals, while also preserving the natural beauty of Maine, and the livelihood of its people,” said Cyrway
The transmission line was originally supposed to be owned and operated by LS Power; however, the company abandoned the project last year due to cost increases. The transmission line, if it’s ever built, is intended to connect New England’s broader powergrid with a massive proposed wind power facility planned for Aroostook County under the management of the Boston-based Longroad Energy.
The transmission line has been heavily criticized for its potential impact on Northern Mainers, some of whom would be forced to surrender their land to eminent domain for the 160-mile-long,150-foot-wide corridor.
Cyrway’s bill would require the feasibility study to be conducted before the state can begin its search for a new contractor to construct the transmission line, after LS Power was unable to undertake the project for the agreed upon price.
The study would determine whether the transmission line would actually further the state’s clean energy goals, and assess the environmental and economic impact of the construction project.
It would collect input from the communities effected by the line, and would assess the impact of on the local residents, including the possible diminishment of the scenic beauty of the land, and the effect on recreational land among numerous other factors.
[RELATED: The Heavily Criticized “Aroostook Renewable Gateway” Suffers Another Setback…]
The study would examine the possibility of using existing infrastructure, such as existing corridors, which could allow the construction without the need to seize land from rural Mainers.
Cyrway has been an advocate for burying power lines underground, which would not lead to significant deforestation, and which would be far less vulnerable to storms, such as the recent December storm which left half the state without power.
Multiple states, including New Hampshire, have implemented underground transmission lines.
Windsor selectman Andrew Ballantyne, an engineer and master electrician, spoke in favor of a feasibility study and the possibility of underground power lines.
“[Underground lines] can be buried underground in a space five feet wide and five feet deep” said Ballantyne, who gave a lengthy testimony on possible alternatives to the proposed project.
Tom Bolen, chair of the Albion Maine Transmission Line Committee, also spoke in favor of Cyrway’s bill, calling the state rash for its attempts to proceed with the project without the feasibility study.
“You have an opportunity as engineers, as scientists, to look at this, and step back, and really do the right thing. Just don’t let political expediency drive the agenda,” said Bolen “We can be better, I know we can.”
Eliza Donoghue, spoke against the bill, representing the Maine Renewable Energy Association.
“We believe that this resolve is not a productive use of state resources, and we have strong concerns that this bill will unnecessarily delay the program,” said Donoghue.
She argued that the state already has sufficient standards to determine the feasibility of the project.
Other opponents agreed with Donoghue, and cited concerns that the study would unnecessarily delay the project.
Cyrway’s bill sets a deadline of January 2026 for the conclusion of the study, potentially delaying the start of construction for years, if the study concludes favorably for the project.
The so-called King Pine Wind Power project that transmission line would connect to would be the largest wind power installation east of the Mississippi River.
Longroad Energy, the company behind King Pine, is 92 percent owned by foreign investors, including the New Zealand sovereign wealth fund.
Feasibility study? We don’t need no stinkin’ feasibility study. Shut down this climate grifters abomination now!
A quick examination of the future proposed projects requesting inclusion into the ISO-NE transmission system reveals that developers wishing to exploit Aroostook County have offered an additional 2847 nameplate capacity megawatts of wind and solar projects.
This bill is intentionally meant to enable the weight of power to shift to the legislature, circumventing the duties of the PUC, the DEP, other state and local agencies and very concerned citizens involved in the normal decision -making process.
This legislature is hell bent on destroying the state to attain former Governor Baldacci’s goal of 3000 megawatts of wind power projects located in Maine by 2020.
Combine this with the goal of 3000 megawatts of offshore wind and Maine will become unlivable. Bankrupted by electric bills.
The feasibility study should be whether this much intermittent generation will reduce Maine to a wind and solar slave to Southern New England goals. It will, without doubt, eliminate any option for Maine to become a sovereign electric territory (as we were before the year 2000) removing ourselves from the influences positioning us towards being a plantation state kotowing to the other state policies.
The destruction of a once beautiful state continues.
This is utterly baffling. We stopped a utility line and electric grid upgrade paid for by Massachusetts to bring renewable, dependable, and inexpensive hydroelectric power from Canada in favor of the destruction of our own land with a gargantuan wind farm developed by foreigners.
Okay you NIMBY Clowns. How did you expect the energy to get from the point of generation into your EV & I pod? Fairies, riding unicorns on rainbow highways carrying recycled plastic buckets of energy to pour into your fuse box?
Why is Reagan Paul’s proposal For multiple small nuclear generation systems non in the mix? They are tried tested efficient and cheaper than buying chinese wind turbines and they produce power 24/7/365. I’m tired of the lies, I’m tired of the taxes and the destruction of thousands of acres for these ecological disasters of wind and solar! destroying the very plant and tree life that absorbs thousands of tons of CO2 every year! But then I can’t give politicians the benefit of doubt that they have the intelligence to figure things like that out! Just look at the ignorance coming out of the Mills regime and the democrat legislature!