Sunday, May 13, 2007

The proposal, 10 years in the development, would have placed large wind turbines in wilderness areas close to the Appalachian Trail. That was holy ground for a number of conservation groups, who normally would have been inclined to support wind power for its green qualities. But the so-called Redington proposal wasn't green enough for them, given its placement.

So despite a recommendation by Land Use Regulation Commission staff that the commission's board approve the project, commissioners shot it down, requesting that staff instead draw up a recommendation to deny permission to construct the project.

It was a stunning and, we believed, unwarranted rejection. It led many to question whether wind power was a viable industry in Maine at a time when the state's leadership had committed to developing alternative sources of power generation to stem the effects of global climate change.

This week, as they faced a hearing in which commissioners were going to formally reject their proposal, developers of the Redington project cut back their plan, eliminating the 12 turbines that would have been built on Redington Mountain. That left only 18 turbines proposed for nearby Black Nubble Mountain.

One environmental group, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, hailed the move; another, Maine Audubon, clucked its disapproval that the Redington developers were subverting the process by changing their proposal at the last minute, before a final recommendation by staff and final vote by commissioners.

Also this week, Gov. John Baldacci announced the creation of his Task Force on Wind Power Development in Maine. The task force's charge is to review regulations that govern wind power development, outline benefits and incentives for communities contemplating wind power projects and identify appropriate locations for wind power development. Given that many wind power turbines are likely to be built on private land, it's not appropriate for the state to set out specific spots where it would be permitted, so the task force will be outlining criteria, rather than identifying actual plots of land.

Both moves represent progress for a state whose goal is to develop alternative power sources, but whose policies don't yet match those goals. It's unfortunate that the Redington project's developers got caught in that mismatch, but that's often the price of being a pioneer. If the state can develop strong guidelines that strike a balance between the need to develop alternative power generation and the need to conserve our landscape, then there will be fewer conflicts like Redington -- and more wind turbines generating clean, non-polluting power.