Thursday March 11th, the Legislature’s Utility and Energy Committee held its public hearing on LD 1810
.
Listen to the legislators and testimony to them by MDEP, DMR, Neptune Energy & other would-be wind industrialists, and opponents and supporters of the same. Lance Burton describes to legislators his life on Monhegan and in Castine and what that makes him think about the bill. LD 1810
Hats off to legislators Leila Percy and Hannah Pingree for insisting on mammoth changes to the bill (2 minute mp3) in response to outrage from theirscalloping shrimping and groundfishing constituents. Specifically, they told the committee to
(1) Turn
LD 1810 into a Resolve directing Marine Resources Committee and Natural Resources legislative committee to take it to their commercial fishing constituents recreational fishermen, scenic activists, birders, next session in 2011 to see if the people want this to happen and let the legislators decide from that, not just get a 38 page bill foisted upon them late in the session, and be told to just bite the bullet and approve it anyway.
OR
Boston-based Neptune Wind exec to Legislators: I want your state's waters
(2) Remove everything from LD 1810 that would promote or facilitate commercial windfarm leasing anywhere in Maine state waters. Then approve the remainder of the bill. this would continue to keep the wind industry happy by giving it tax breaks, if they locate in federal waters outside state waters. Because it costs a lot more to locate out there. tax break or not,l keeping them out of Maine state waters – which as the Maine Lobsterman’s Association noted at the hearing there will be many less entrepeneurs rushing to Maine and grabbing leases. (The heating oil industry wants to strip out other non-ocean related parts of the bill)
It is as if a mighty iceberg headed at the Maine inshore fisheries’ Titanic is being successfully turned, by those answering the alarm that now is ringing in desperate peals from Passamaquoddy Bay to f the Piscataqua. For, if diverted a few degrees with relentless pressure, it may harmlessly pass by our waters, an icy white horseman heading for some other apocalyptic encounter.
The word from outer Penobscot groundfishers, shrimpesr and scallopers is to either can the bill or
If you care to be involved – for, against, or neutral – email the Utility& Energy Committee clerk Krisen Gottlieb Kristen.Gottlieb@legislature.maine.gov and the Marine Resources Committee clerk Marianne Macmaster Marianne.MacMaster@legislature.maine.gov and let them know of your opinion or insight; they will get your message to their committees’ members.
- Listening as Leila Percy testifies at the hearing