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Audio Recordings of Public Hearing onLD 1810 a bill to stimulate nearshore windfarm leasing in state marine waters
On March 11, 2010, the Maine's Legislature's Utility and Energy Committee held a public hearing on LD 1810, An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Governor's Ocean Energy Task Force. Before during and after the March 11, 2010 hearing on the bill held by the U tility and Energy Committee, the committee heard loud and clear that Maine fishermen will not stand for a bill opening up Maine state waters to nearshore commercial windfarms, pushing scallopers shrimpers & groundfishermen out.

Listen to co-chair of the Marine Resources Committee, telling the committee to change the bill: Either (1) Turn LD 1810 into a Resolve, and ship it round to other legislative committees and commercial fishing communities over the next year before taking any action in 2012, or (2) Amend the bill by removing from the bill all wording related to anything that would facilitate or stimulate commercial windfarm operations in Maine state waters.

* Introduction 7 minutes
* Senator Hobbins Sponsor of LD 1810 6 min
* Representative Leila Percy, Co chair Marine Resources Committee 2 min
* Beth Nagusky MDEP Energy Office 12 min
* Beth Nagusky questioned 18 min
* Senator Kevin Raye
* Rep Stacey Fitts, Co sponsor 12 min
* Rep Seth Berry 4:17 min
* George Lapointe. DMR
* George Lapointe Q & A
* Chuck Digate, Neptune Wind
* Chuck Digate, Neptune Q&A
* Bob Baynes. Lobsterman
* Shawn Mahoney, CLF
* John Ferland, Ocean Renewable Power Co
* Lance Burton of Castine
* Bill Staby, Resolute Energy
* J. Monroe, Blue Water Dynamos
* Ron Huber, Penobscot Bay Watch
* Bob Moore, Dead River Oil,
* Ned Bulmer, Maine Energy Marketing Assn
* Carol Lee ex head of Bangor Hydro
* Caroll Lee, Q&A
* John Pierce of Harspwell
* Chris O'Neill, Saco
* Connie Grinley
* Jim Pike, EnergyKinetics
* Tom Eyette, Midnight Oil
* Jeff Thaler, Bernstein Shur

Under Option 2 the bill would continue with sections that give the wind industry tax breaks and immunizes it from a variety of conservation and environmental laws, also known as "streamlining" the laws. "Streamlining? More like amputating the law," one conservation activist grumped to the committee, and the room filled with uneasy laughter. Also remaining in the altered LD 1810 would be a controversial "Welfare Wind" section, This part of the bill forces Mainers to subsidize the wind industry by requiring electricity utilities to purchase wind-generated power for triple what they pay Bangor Hydro and other electricity providers, but then allows the utilities to pass the increased cost on to Maine consumers. The oil heating industry also showed up in opposition to LD 1810 In particular, they opposed a section that calls for phasing their industry out of the home and commercial heating business and requiring Maine consumers to use electricity for heating. While oil and lobsters don't mix well in nature, in Augusta they may together push LD 1810, and the energy industry behind it, far away from its original goals.

February 2010 Legislation Update. February 2, 2010 Audio. In this mp3 recording , the Maine Legislature's Utilities & Energy Committee reviews and discusses with Pete Didisheim of NRCM a revised version of LD 1504. Now renamed " An Act to provide predictable economic benefits to Maine communities that host wind power projects", the bill would require communities to negotiate Community Benefit Agreements with utilities that want to move into their backyards, whether the community wants them or not.

January and February 2010 Legislative Update Audio of January 20, 2010 and February 2, 2010 hearings and work sessions on wind energy legislation by Utility and Energy Committee.

Maine Offshore Wind Public Events - Online Audio of speakers at:
Maine Offshore Energy '09 S 11/29/09 , at Energy Ocean 2009 June 15-18 , 2009 and at the 2009 ME Fishermen's Forum Ocean Energy Workshop 3/7/09

Documents:
1/14/10. Documents from Maine Dept of Conservation in response to a Freedom of Access Act request.

12/14/09 decision by Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands to designate Monhegan Island site as one of three "Offshore Wind Energy Test Areas" off the Maine coast*** html version and text version

12/ 21/09 Maine Coastal Program releases 87 page Final Report of the Ocean Energy Task Force . (pdf) . See pages 63-68 to see what easing of environmental laws the ocean windpower industry is seeking.

Media Coverage Working Waterfront ** The Free Press *** Maine Public Broadcasting ** Bangor Daily News ** Offshore Wind Wire *** Google News Coverage

The Monhegan wind test area lies in deep water near a historic fishing ground: the Monhegan Inner Sou'Sou'west Ground . (As described in "Fishing Grounds of the Gulf of Maine, 1929" See clickable map here. Monhegan is lowest green spot on map.