First Wind Application—Township 16 MD

First Wind has had its eyes on the area around Eastbrook, in Hancock County, for some time.  The folks in Eastbrook passed an ordinance requiring a one mile set back for wind turbines, so, First Wind has made an end run and decided to start on the end of the project that sits in the Unorganized Territory of Township 16 MD, just east of Eastbrook.

This project, which will cover Bull Hill and Heifer Hill with nineteen 476 foot high turbines, sits just east of the Eastbrook town line, and it will overlook Spectacle Pond to the north, Narraguagus Lake to the south, and Molasses Pond to the west.  It is also directly north of [and likely visible from] Acadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain.

On February 2^nd, LURC accepted the application from ‘Blue Sky East’ [First Wind] as complete for processing.  Of course, they were not any too quick about notifying people who might be opposed to the project, and I just found out this morning.

The public has until 12:00 p.m. [Noon] on February 23 to request a public hearing, or Intervener status.  Of course, all State offices are closed on February 22, but I’m sure that wasn’t part of the plan……… 

We must contact LURC and demand that a public hearing be held.  If they don’t get enough public interest demanding a hearing, our concerns won’t be heard and this project will simply be rubber stamped.

Please write or email LURC and ask to be listed as an Interested Person for this, and all other current and future wind/met tower development projects in LURC jurisdiction. 

Also, please request that a public hearing be held in the matter of the Blue Sky East LLC/Bull Hill Development Application—DP4886.

With a public hearing, there will be an opportunity to present evidence and testimony as to why this project should be denied a permit.  Without a public hearing, we will be effectively cut out of the process.

It is up to all of us to speak up!

Write to LURC at:

Maine Land Use Regulation Commission, Department of Conservation, 22 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333

Or send an email to:

Donald.Murphy@maine.gov 

You can find all of the information about this project here:

http://www.maine.gov/doc/lurc/projects/Windpower/FirstWind/BlueSkyEast/BlueSkyEast.html 

Below is the ‘Notice Of Acceptance’ from the LURC website.

DC

 NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE FOR PROCESSING

This is to notify you that Blue Sky East, LLC, c/o First Wind 179 Lincoln Street, Suite 500, Boston MA 02111, filed a Grid Scale Wind Energy Development Permit Application with the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission (“the Commission”) pursuant to the provisions of 35-A M.R.S., § 3451 et seq. and 12 M.R.S., § 685-B to build a wind power project in T16 MD, Hancock County, Maine. This area is LURC zoned as General Management Subdistrict (M-GN), with areas of Wetland Protection Subdistrict (P-WL) and Shoreland Protection Subdistrict (P-SL).

Blue Sky East, LLC is seeking development permit approval from the Commission for 19 Vestas wind turbines with a potential output of 1.8 megawatts (MW) per turbine, and a combined potential output of 34 MW. The turbines will be located on Bull Hill and Heifer Hill in T16 MD. The project would also include: access to the turbines utilizing new and existing roads; 34.5 kilovolt (kV) underground collector lines connecting the turbines; a new substation; an operations and maintenance building; and up to four permanent meteorological towers. Power from the project would connect directly from the new substation to an existing 115kV transmission line.

The Grid Scale Wind Energy Development Permit Application was submitted to the LURC Commission’s office in Augusta (Maine Department of Conservation, 18 Elkins Lane, Harlow Building, 4th floor) on January 31, 2011. Commission staff accepted this application for the “Bull Hill Wind Project’ as complete for processing on February 2, 2011. Copies of the complete application will be made available in Maine at the Hancock County Commissioners Office at 50 State Street, Ellsworth; the Land Use Regulation Commission Regional Office at 106 Hogan Road, Suite 7, Bangor; and the Eastbrook Town Office at 959 Eastbrook Road, Eastbrook. A copy of the complete application is posted on LURC’s website: Blue Sky East-Bull Hill Wind Project Application for DP-48866

Requests for a public hearing or for Intervenor status must be submitted in writing to the Commission by 12:00 PM (noon) Wednesday, February 23, 2011, at the LURC Augusta office. Written comments from interested persons will be accepted during the review of the application. Review comments should be sent to Maine Land Use Regulation Commission, Department of Conservation, 22 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333; or by email to LURC Project Planner Donald.Murphy@maine.gov  Additional information, instructions for submitting comments, and project updates can be found at LURC’s website address: http://www.maine.gov/doc/lurc or by calling Project Planner Murphy at (207) 287-2619 or the LURC Augusta main office (207) 287-2631.