LD2283 does nothing to improve Maine's electrical power situation. In combination with the bill on Energy Corridors, it is a give away to foreign and alien corporations. As is true of every "solution" that seeks to perpetuate our current economic paradigm, it makes matters worse.

April 2, 2008

Sen. Bartlett

Rep. Bliss

Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy

RE: LD2283: An Act To Implement Recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Wind Power Development

Sen. Bartlett, Rep. Bliss and members of the Utilities and Energy Committee,

LD2283 does nothing to improve Maine's electrical power situation. In combination with the bill on Energy Corridors, it is a give away to foreign and alien corporations. As is true of every "solution" that seeks to perpetuate our current economic paradigm, it makes matters worse.

The energy and general resource crises we are in are of our own making. They are the direct result of our values and beliefs. More unbounded growth - more of what has got us into these crises - more, more, more - will only make matters worse. That is true of unbounded growth whether it is fueled by fossil or renewable energy. As one of the authors of the first Club of Rome "Limits to Growth" wrote recently, "we are on target" and that is not a good thing.

Any sensible energy policy post Peak Oil must be about LESS. About who gets what and who decides. That cannot be finessed by fantasies about never ending amounts of MORE. It's not only that supplies will go up; they will be unavailable. ^0.1

LD2283 will not reduce carbon emissions. Because it does not require that all power generated replace power generated from fossil sources, it will not happen.

LD2283 will provide nothing but the illusion of energy security to Maine. Perhaps if the bill specified that ownership of all such projects remained within the State of Maine - in domestic corporations and community trusts chartered for the public interest - then one could start talking of the Public Interest.

LD2283 does not specify that the benefits remain substantially within the State of Maine; it is about extraction, even if of a renewable. It is therefore a taking from the commonwealth for private profit.

This legislation does not address "LESS"; it makes matters worse. ^0.2

The result of this legislation will be the giving away of Maine's best sites to entities that will sell the power generated to others elsewhere who can pay more. The result will be to place those best resources out of reach of the local community. It will leave Mainers without power in the shadow of these new windmills.

DEP and LURC cannot credibly approve and regulate these facilities. The Governor himself has said he aims to refocus our environmental agencies to "enhance the services provided to natural resource-based businesses" ^0.3Exactly as happened with the fish in the rivers, the environment will be sacrificed for corporate profit. Species destroyed will never return and the environment on which we depend will fail sooner rather than later. The sound you don't hear is the ice melting.

If you don't know how to fix it, please stop breaking it! ^0.4

In the April 1, 2008 Bangor Daily News ^0.5, just below a picture of the contents of an entire tractor trailer being dumped into a biomass facility, the article continues:

In its analyses, the PUC identifies wind, biomass and tidal generation, along with additional natural gas and liquefied natural gas facilities, as the future of the region's electricity generation.

John Kerry, director of the Governor's Office of Energy Independence and Security, believes the average consumer plays an important role.

"Reducing our dependence on energy would reduce our dependence on all fossil fuels," Kerry said. "The best kilowatt is the kilowatt we don't utilize."

We've passed Peak Oil. There won't be any additional natural gas and there won't be any additional LNG facilities. Short of chipping our last forests, there will be no more additional biomass. The best kilowatt is the kilowatt we don't utilize. LESS.

Continued economic growth is uneconomic. You know this. Yet I fear you will ignore the evidence and rush this legislation through. Any so-called solution that attempts to perpetuate the current business as usual paradigm will only make matters worse.

Sincerely,

/Christopher F. Miller/

Christopher F. Miller

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Footnotes

... unavailable. ^0.1

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3785#more

... worse. ^0.2

Obviously I'm wrong.

... businesses" ^0.3

Governor Baldacci, 2008 State of State address

... it! ^0.4

Northwest Earth Institute, "Changing CO2rse", p54, Severn Suzuki, age 12, speaking at the 1992 Earth Summit.

... News ^0.5

http://www.bangornews.com/news/t/default.aspx?a=162210&template=print-article.htm