For years, I have considered myself to be pro-environment. Yet, I am now in strong opposition to commercial wind towers. Greenwood is a proposed CWT site, with 17 towers, each 600 feet tall. Electricity generated would be sold to Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. It is not for Maine.
I oppose CWT because Western Maine has an established tourist economy. Tourists come here to ski, snowmobile, hike, fish, hunt, ATV, boat and enjoy outdoor activities. Many residents earn their livelihoods from the tourist economy.
Who wants to have wind towers in their face when they recreate? It would have a negative impact on the outdoor tourist economy.
This region is a strong second-home market. People build second homes here because it is beautiful and they enjoy the area. Who would invest hundreds of thousands of dollars only to look at commercial wind towers? The towers would have a negative economic impact for the many builders, contractors, carpenters and other construction professionals who have built solid businesses in the area.
Property values would drop. A 2013 study (Maine Audubon) on the wind industry in Maine noted one of the reasons to oppose coastal Maine wind development would be “impacts to property values.” Declining property values.
Western Maine is being hit hard by industrial wind proposals because there is an electrical transmission line that runs through the area on its way to southern New England.
There are places for commercial wind development, but not in established tourist economies in areas of great natural beauty.
Betsey Foster, Greenwood
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