A Word About Maine Jobs and Industrial Wind

I've mentioned this interesting development before, but it bears repeating. 

We've heard it from the wind lobby over and over again: 

"Wind is the only game in town." 

When developers' claims that industrial wind facilities would counter the effects of global warming were debunked, they talked about national security, and used arguments that wind would "get us off foreign oil".

When they had to admit that Maine generates a minuscule amount of electricity from oil, and what we do use is imported from Canada and Mexico, they quickly changed tacks. 

When they were confronted with the damage to our mountains, they pointed their fingers at Appalachia's coal mines--hoping no one would remind them that there is only one electricity generator using coal in this state-and that's at the paper mill in Rumford, representing 1/2 of 1 percent of Maine's electric generation.

When challenged about their projects' impact on wildlife, they insulted us by comparing the massive assault to entire flocks of birds to the deaths caused by house cats and picture windows.

And when they had to face the victims--Maine citizens of every age and size--suffering the adverse effects of the low frequency noise and infrasound emissions of turbines, the wind industry talked about JOBS.


Renewable Energy Magazine published an article which should make even the staunchest Maine businesses advocating for wind development pause a moment.  Maybe even....worry.  What happens when the wind developers bring in their own construction crews to build Maine's grid-scale wind facilities?  Where are those promised jobs which will--as the only game in town--turn Maine's economy around and make all the negative impacts of industrial wind... worth it?

Will Reed & Reed and Cianbro and others still feel warm and fuzzy about Maine's wind energy plan, then?

Here's an excerpt from the article.  I urge you to read the whole thing by clicking the link above.

"Iberdrola brands itself as the US’s second largest wind operator, already possessing over 5 GW of wind capacity across the country. Now its engineering subsidiary, Iberdrola Engineering and Construction, is moving into wind farm construction in the US.

"Iberdrola Engineering, the Spanish energy giant’s engineering subsidiary, has been awarded a contract to build its first wind farm in the country through its US subsidiary, Iberdrola Energy Projects Inc. The facility is being built in Groton in the State of New Hampshire..."

Hmmmm.  New Hampshire.  Isn't that right over the Kittery Bridge?