Maine Wind Assessment 2012, A Report
In early 2012, independent consultants submitted to the Office of Energy Independence and Security (OEIS; now the Governor’s Energy Office), Maine Wind Assessment 2012, A Report. The study and report were mandated by the 125th Legislature in response to a number of citizen-originated bills that sought to amend Maine’s current statutory approach to wind energy permitting. The consultants reported:
- “There doubtless are many reasonable adjustments to the 2008 Act that the Legislature could make…”
- “… we do think that it is desirable to engage in discussions that reconsider the appropriateness and value of key aspects of the 2008 Wind Energy Act.”
- “The benefit of a public process for moving forward with new wind siting criteria is that it could confer an element of legitimacy that, to date, the expedited permitting process seemingly has lacked.”
Several months later, subsequent to above report, the Director of the OEIS prepared and submitted to the Legislature specific recommendations addressing weaknesses and known problems in Maine’s current wind policy and law. To see this report and the recommendations click on Maine Wind Energy Development Assessment, Report and Recommendations.
To date, none of these recommendations have been adopted, though several citizen initiated bills addressing them have come before the Legislature. New bills have been submitted to the 127th Legislature in the continued effort to make constructive reforms to Maine’s hastily created Wind Energy Act and Expedited Permitting laws.
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