More than five years ago, Maine set ambitious goals to spur
wind power development aimed at helping wean the state off fossil fuels. But
now Republican Gov. Paul LePage says the targets don't really help the state
and are so far out of reach as to be meaningless, so why have them?
A bill recently introduced by the governor would do away
with the megawatt targets and replace them with goals to expand economic
opportunities and lower electricity prices. Wind proponents call it an attack
on renewable energy but LePage's administration says it will spark a
conversation about how the state can bolster its energy policy to benefit
Mainers.
"If we are going to have wind development, how can we
maximize the benefits to Maine people who are struggling with very high energy
costs and ... promote economic development at the same time?" said Patrick
Woodcock, director of the governor's Energy Office.
Woodcock has floated the idea of removing the wind energy
generation goals in the past, but this is the first time a bill has been
introduced. A public hearing on the measure will be held Wednesday.
Under the 2008 law signed by Democratic Gov. John Baldacci,
Maine has sought to produce at least 2,000 megawatts of electricity through
wind projects by 2015 and 3,000 megawatts by 2020, or enough to power about
900,000 homes.
The goals have long been viewed as lofty, but proponents say
they're essential in attracting investment.
While Maine leads New England in wind power generation, the
state currently produces only about 450 megawatts of it, or enough to supply
about 175,000 households. To meet its 3,000 megawatt goal, about 600 more wind
turbines -- roughly three times as many in Maine now -- would need to be built,
according to a recent report from the conservation advocacy group Maine
Audubon.
Democratic Senate President Justin Alfond of Portland, who
often clashes with the governor on renewable energy issues, said the proposal
seems to be part of LePage's continued attack on wind power, pointing to the
administration's maneuvering to halt Statoil's offshore wind project last year.
"(The bill) takes away years of work around setting
these goals and inserts one man's interpretation of what he'd like to see
around wind," Alfond said. "What he appears to be doing is creating
more barriers and lots of ambiguous language about the future of wind."
Renewable energy advocates say stripping the megawatt goals
could send a negative message to investors about Maine's commitment to wind
power. They claim that wind development has already had significant economic
benefits for the state and it will become more affordable and create thousands
more Maine jobs as the state inches toward its goals.
"At what amount will the administration become
supportive of wind power? What's the rate benefit that they're looking to see so
that they'll stop criticizing the industry?" said Jeremy Payne, executive
director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association.
Anti-wind group Friends of Maine Mountains, which is backing
the governor's bill, contends that officials didn't realize the amount of push
back wind projects would receive when the goals were written. Several proposed
projects have been challenged by citizen opposition groups who've raised
concerns about the impact on the scenery and on wildlife.
The bill introduced by Republican Rep. Lance Harvell of
Farmington on behalf of the governor faces an uncertain future in the
Democratic-controlled Legislature. But it has bipartisan support with Senate
Democratic Leader Troy Jackson of Allagash as a co-sponsor.
Woodcock said wind power has a future in Maine and rejected
the notion that the bill would have any effect on that. There is an enormous
appetite for wind power in southern New England and Maine has a robust wind
energy resource, he said. But the current goals aren't helping Maine achieve
what the law intended, which is to provide economic development and lower
energy costs through wind, he said.
"My job as energy director is to maximize the benefits
for the people of Maine," he said.
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