More than 75 Lincoln County residents met with elected state officials April 28 to air questions and concerns about the wind mill test project to be installed two miles south of Monhegan Island.
The Friends of Muscongus Bay hosted a panel discussion moderated by the group’s co-founder Andrew Fenniman. The panel of four state legislators, comprised of Representatives Mick Devin, Ellen Winchenbach, Jeff Evangelos, and Sen. Chris Johnson, listened to residents’ concerns regarding the wind power pilot project.
Maine Aqua Ventus I GP LCC, the corporation behind the research project, along with a number of other corporate interests has partnered with Maine Prime Technologies LLC, a company representing the University of Maine.
Based in the town of Bristol, the Friends group is opposed in general to the location of the two proposed wind turbines and specifically to its cables coming ashore on town land. A petition drive was begun last week by Bristol residents seeking to enact a ban on the placement of high powered transmission cables.
Following 45 minutes of listening to concerns raised by the public, Sen. Chris Johnson, D-Somerville, said that while residents have valid and real concerns regarding the wind project, they must rally facts, data, and authoritative information in order to effect any real change.
“Saying you’re concerned about things isn’t going to bring about change. You have to study the facts and bring data,” Johnson said.
The senator said he’d like the conversation to go further and bring people to the table and answer their questions.
“What is worse for our fisheries? I don’t have enough information yet to know that,” Johnson said. “I can’t make a decision without answers. These are valid concerns.”
Both Devin and Johnson said that the residents of Bristol and Monhegan should work together.
“I think you’ll find the people of Monhegan are very much against this. When you’ve got two communities, you’ve got a much larger voice,” Devin said.
Evangelos advised residents to make their voices heard by contacting the federal officials connected to the project’s grant applications.
“Make your voices heard. Make them understand there is a resistance movement here. Keep calling,” Evangelos said.
Johnson said for legislative action to be effective it must address the concerns raised during the meeting.
“The most positive thing you could do is go to the legislature with ideas to improve the criteria that should be met for siting wind turbines. Then a law with better criteria could be put together,” Johnson said.
