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| Lexington Mountains Threatened by Iberdrola Renewables/Plum Creek proposed wind development |
I’m a Maine citizen trying to bring ethics, civil rights and fairness back into the equation concerning the lives of my family, friends and neighbors.
I live in an Unorganized Territory. There is no recognized ‘town government’
here. We’re too small for that.
But we’re still American citizens-- and Mainers. We believe that our voices and our wills
should not be disregarded simply because we live in rural Maine.
More than 80% of the citizens of my community (Lexington
Township) have signed petitions opposing Iberdrola Renewables’ proposed
industrial wind facility planned for the mountain summits which rise above our
homes and properties. But because of the
2008 passage of LD2283 (which became former Governor Baldacci’s ‘Wind Energy
Act’) rural citizens in the ‘expedited wind permitting zone’ are not allowed to
have any real influence in the future of our communities.
In any other situation, an 80% vote would be considered a
landslide. The Peoples’ will would have
carried the day. Why is this not the
case, for us?
We have told the wind developer and the land owner (Plum
Creek) about our collective decision.
We’ve asked them to abandon their wind development plans. Instead of respecting our resolve, they have
continued move ahead with their plans, continued to contact locals…asking them
for private ‘meetings’ (while refusing to hold public meetings), asking them
for easements to cross their properties, telling them that property-owners have
the right to use their land however they see fit.
If sight, sound, smell or other pollution or environmental
impacts stopped at property boundaries, this conversation might be different.
But everyone in Lexington stands to bear the impacts if this huge industrial
facility is built in our peaceful, natural setting.
If we lived in neighboring New Portland, this wouldn’t be an
issue.
But…we don’t.
So…it is.
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| New Portland (Jack Bailey photo) |
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