On the agenda at the next Fort Kent town council meeting on June 9th at 7:00pm there will be a proposal that the town council recommend to the planning board that they place before the voters a zoning ordinance banning the placement of industrial wind towers within the limits of the town. By bringing  this issue before the council and planning board it is our intention to initiate the process of revising our town ordinance and open up the discussion so that every citizen in the town has a voice and a vote with regard to this vital issue we now face.

Horizon Wind Energy, a Houston based wind developer owned by the Portuguese utility Energias de Portugal, has recently increased the scale of their Aroostook wind project from 500MW to 800MW which roughly translates into 400 of these turbines scheduled for our area. Each turbine is higher than a forty story building and is taller than the highest building in Portland. Their permitting process is scheduled to begin this year

Recently as I walked around town to talk with people about the looming project I found very few who had any knowledge of the proposed plans for our town. Those few who had heard about the project had little awareness of the size and scope of these giants.  We would be the recipients of wind turbines over 400 feet tall – turbines a hundred feet taller than the ones installed at Mars Hill (which are visible for over 50 miles).

The main question people would ask me as I handed out our flyer was whether the energy would stay local and the answer to that question is a decided no. On the drawing board is a 500 million dollar transmission line, paid for by all the electric customers, to bring this electricity south.  Since Mars Hill has installed these turbines  electric bills there have increased by 40 per cent.

Ultimately these mills run on large tax breaks which are funded by our tax dollars.  Even more money is generated for these multi-billion dollar corporations through the selling of ‘green’ credits to typically fossil fuel plants and thus allowing them to continue to belch out noxious, polluting smoke. Wind is intermittent and unreliable; these wind turbine projects mainly generate tax avoidance for the wind companies.  The developers of the Mars Hill wind project had promised 50 MW but the reality now is only 15 MW.

Large wind industrial complexes also negatively impact visual aesthetics, tourism, property values and wildlife.  The noise pollution generated by these wind towers threatens the health and well-being of neighbors.  The World Health Organization recognizes the serious health issues posed by the noise and vibrations of these turbines and recommends that no industrial wind turbine be installed closer than 1.2 miles where there are residences, hospitals or schools.

We need to practice responsible stewardship and protect the scenic, rural and agricultural character of our town.  Let us protect the health and well being of our town and its citizens.

Please consider attending the Fort Kent Town Council meeting on June 9th at 7:00 PM
(submitted by Georgette Fehrenbach, Fort Kent)