Encouraging Words

Stewart Mountain in Highland as seen from Carrabassett Valley Airport
Highland Wind abandoned plans to put 9 turbines along this ridge after stiff opposition from the Maine Appalachain Trail Club (MATC), National Park Service (NPS) and the Appalachain Trail Conservancy (ATC) 

Encouraging words today from Naomi Schalit and John Christie of The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. The story I'm referencing can be found both in the Lewiston Sun Journal and the Bangor Daily News. 

State board deals potentially fatal blow to First Wind deal

"Last April, Maine’s largest wind energy developer, First Wind, trumpeted a multimillion-dollar deal that would pay for the company’s ambitious plans to erect more wind turbines throughout Maine and the Northeast.

"But the Maine Public Utilities Commission dealt a potentially fatal blow to the deal last week.

"PUC staff, faced with what opponents of the deal have called the first serious challenge to the state’s landmark 2000 electricity deregulation law, recommended on Jan. 13 that the agency give the thumbs-down to the deal."  Read the whole story here.

This story is important for many reasons, one of which is that 3 days ago Maine's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) approved First Wind's Oakfield wind project--if built, it will be the largest wind facility in Maine, thus far.

One of the criteria a wind developer is supposed to meet before receiving a permit is proof of financial capacity. And yet, in the BDN article about DEP's permit approval, First Wind's Alec Jarvis said, "The project's financing is not yet assembled."

Huh?

Why are Maine regulatory agencies such as DEP and LURC approving First Wind's projects? 

I haven't had time to read the Oakfield permit yet, but I'm anxious to.  And I will.  I want to see what kind of decommissioning plan and fund DEP required for the largest industrial wind plant in Maine.

Will the townspeople of Oakfield be on the hook for a multi-million dollar decommissioning job if FW (or rather, its Oakfield-specific subsidiary, a Limited Liability Corporation called "Evergreen Wind LLC") goes belly up?

Is First Wind quoting the same assets, collateral and financial statements for each project?  At a minimum, they're actively pursuing the Bull Hill project (recently approved by LURC), Oakfield (recently approved by DEP) and Bowers Mountain (still pending at LURC).  Locals in the Bingham area seem to think the company is moving forward with clearing and road construction for their proposed Bingham/Mayfield/Kingsbury/ Abbott/Blanchard project, too--even though they do not have a permit in hand. 

How will First Wind (i.e.Champlain Wind LLC, i.e. Evergreen Wind LLC, i.e. Blue Sky East LLC [and those are just a few of First Wind's Maine LLC's protecting the parent company's assets]) build a BILLION dollars worth of industrial wind facilities if they can't close the Emera/Algonquin deal, and they can't raise capital because investors were so uninterested in FW's IPO that they pulled it in August, 2010?

This company is begging for some serious scrutiny. The recommendation from PUC staff is a great start--they are finally looking at Maine's wind energy plan from the consumers' point of view. 

The PUC decision sounds like a "done deal".  Unfortunately, the cynical 'Kaz' will be wondering what 'incentives' and 'tangible benefits' and 'mitigation' tactics First Wind will use to try to tip the scales prior to that Jan. 31st PUC Commissioners' vote. 

I'm sure Ms. Schalit and Mr. Christie will follow up on this story and I look forward to reading it.