Some people have suggested that members of the Dixfield Planning Board are anti-business. Once built, the wind power project would give Dixfield only one new job. Its tax value would result in only one-half of one mill in tax reduction after state school subsidy and county taxes are adjusted.
Anti-business? High rates for electricity may have contributed to businesses leaving Maine. Those rates are high in order to pay for wind power subsidies and power line upgrades to send power to southern New England. Maine has a surplus of electricity without new wind power projects. Such projects are not being built for Maine electricity.
Green? Wind power projects will never recover the carbon footprint from the construction destruction. Wind power is the only industry allowed to kill eagles.
No, the wind power projects are all about outside corporations getting rich on government subsidies at the expense of local Maine citizens. Do residents go along with that?
And, all that is at the cost of the historic Dixfield Common from lost property values, noise and light pollution, and several potential health risks.
Do people really want to do that to other citizens? Would they do that to their neighbors?
The vote on the proposed wind power ordinance has provisions that both sides dislike. Maybe that makes it a reasonable compromise.
I will vote yes to approve the proposed new ordinance as it offers some level of protection to citizens.
Lauren Hebert, Dixfield, member of the Planning Board
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