Thirty, 300 foot wind turbines on ridges in Western Maine, visible for a fifty mile strech of the AT. Public hearing August 2nd and 3rd, in the evening at Sugarloaf in Carrabasset Valley, Maine. Google " Maine Land Use Regulatory Commission Redington Wind Power". Be there, or be looking at more exceptionally massive moving machines on the mountains! Shades of “War of the Worlds”…zap goes the view. PS I don’t Alpine ski.
Sloghound
In today’s day and age we should be embracing alternative power sources. One need look no further than the tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians and thousands of American soldiers killed to see the utter insanity of our current energy policy. Don’t like the view do you??? How about that haze that blankets the entire appalachian mountain system…it comes from industrial pollution fired from the coal burning electricity plants of the ohio valley. If we as a society want to have a sustainable energy policy, well guess what…you may have to get used to the sight of wind turbines and solar collectors all over this country. I myself think it would be a beautiful sight!
PS I Do Alpine Ski
Sustainability
Ahhhh, so thats what all the clearing was for on the western slopes of Old Speck Mtn. That was a shock i can tell you. You’d never know it was all there unless you took a slight detour from the AT. A massive logging operation soooo close to the AT corridor. Guess we’ll all know about it when the turbines show up. Still, musnn’t grumble, at least it’s not Hetch Hetchy, they’re not gonna flood Mahoosuc Notch with a wind turbine.
Cheers
Cheers
I want a sustainable energy economy, too. But, I think that some places should left “as is”, even if the present "As Is’ isn’t forest primeval.
I use as little electricity as I can. No A/C; shut off the lights; etc.
I think it is reasonable to protect the viewshed. Beauty has value, too.
Maine residents can email catherine.m.carroll@maine.gov
She is the Executive Director of the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission.
Mention your opinion on the proposed wind turbines on Redington and Black Nubble, near the Appalachian Trail.
The Maine Appalachian Trail Club thinks that attendance at these evening public hearings is so important, that it must be done, to approximately quote a letter I received from the MATC.
Sloghound
Please look at this site for more information-
http://www.matc.org/windissu.htm
Here’s a thought. Each turbine will be as big as a 40 story building. The roads to build and provide ongoing support for the turbines will have to be heavy enough to support the largest motorized cranes in the world. Silt those streams! Scare that wildlife! I gotta power my 62 inch plasma TV…
And, for you appreciators of sunsets and the night sky, each blade (not just the towers!) will have a beacon on them for aircraft warning. What a nasty, continuous, dizzying light show that won’t go away, ever!
I’m looking forward to a long distance hike in the future, finishing in Maine.
I’m not looking forward to seeing an unnatural, whirling red light district for 50 miles of my trip.
Sloghound
Fossil fuels vs wind energy vs nuclear power, and so on. They all have major issues. What’s the “root” cause? Too many people? Check out the “Population Connection” (http://www.populationconnection.org/)
OregonHikerDave
I recently drove from Palm Springs California home to Baton Rouge, LA and one of night drives down I10 had those turbines for 100 miles on top of a hill. The red lights were dim and I was glad to see that we were using renewable power source, so I find that Sloghound’s premise of a dizzying light show is unfounded. Besides, would you rather them locate a coal burning power plant there instead. It just seems to be a case of NIMBY (not in my backyard)…
mudbug
There was an article in the ATC journal a few years ago about this project. Sustainable energy is great the problem with turbines is they don’t produce that much energy. The story explained exactly what these turbines would power. You need a huge wind farm to make a lot of electricity and they do require support. There aren’t many people in that part of Maine so find out where the electricity will go? Who benefits from this project? It’s all about the money trail, not saving the environment.
Darth Pacman
I’ll support windmills on that mountain when Ted Kennedy supports them off Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
CitySlicker