More Maine Towns Reject State Wind Siting Laws

In a rejection of the 2008 Maine Wind Energy Act, numerous Maine town have enacted local ordinances to control industrial scale wind development. Many of the ordinances are so restrictive as to essentially prevent wind development in those communities. Most ordinances have been passed with overwhelming support, some with unanimous votes.

Unfortunately, for residents of the State’s unorganized territory, these actions may place more wind development pressure on the unorganized towns and plantations that are within the Expedited Permitting Area. Residents in these places have no authority to enact ordinances to protect their communities like organized towns. Remarkably, the 2008 Maine Wind Energy Act eliminated the only official means they had to participate in the futures of their communities through the Land Use Planning Commission, which acts as their planning and zoning body. Facing the loss of their communities’ rural character to industrial development, they can do little more than watch their quality of place disappear in service to wind industry interests. 

Below is a list of towns that have written and enacted restrictive wind facility siting ordinances. We will continue adding the names of towns as new ordinances are enacted as well as links to the ordinances as they become available. There might be others that we have not been made aware of.  If you know of such a town, please contact us so that we can add them to our list.

Maine Towns with Restrictive Grid-Scale Wind Turbine Ordinances
Click on a town name with a link to view its ordinance

Avon	Brooksville	Buckfield
Canaan	Cape Elizabeth	Caratunk
Cushing	Deer Isle	Dixmont
Eastbrook	Eddington	Frankfort
Hope	Industry	Jackson
Montville	Mount Vernon	New Portland
Newry	New Vineyard	Penobscot
Peru	Phillips	Portland
Rockport	Rumford	Sedgwick
Stockton Springs	Sumner	Temple
Thorndike	Unity	Wilton
Woodstock

We wish to thank the towns that have made copies or links to their ordinances available to us.