The Downside to Wind Power

BANGOR, Maine-Renewable energy is clean and sustainable and has a laundry list of benefits compared to the latter; but Maine residents who live close to local wind farms say they have concerns.
Maine is known as a fall foliage Mecca and a state ripe with natural beauty, this is the reason why the state has refused the construction of billboards and other signage along its highways and major roadways. It is also a state at the forefront of wind technology, with several wind farms located around the state. Recently, some rural Maine communities have fired back at the wind power industry. Towns such as Mars Hill, Dixmont, Jackson, Oakfield, New Vineyard and Vinalhaven Island, all have issues with the 400 foot tall turbines.
In Mars Hill, locals criticize the windmills looks and say they’re too noisy. In context to the benefits of wind power these critiques seem trivial, but Maine is a state devoted to natural preservation and natural tourism, which generates an excess of millions of dollars. Their concerns become valid when these disturbances are put into context with Maine culture.
Appearance is also an issue for residents in Roxbury located near Rumford, where a proposal to build a wind farm along the ridgelines of five mountains in Highland Plantation in Somerset County has created an outpouring of disapproval. Residents say the areas scenery would be compromised, others say it would be marred.
Light reflection is also an issue for residents of Union, Maine. Preventative measures have already been taken at Fort Kent, where no wind farm plans are underway, yet an ordinance is under consideration that would limit wind farm noise.
The debate over wind power in Maine is so great that critics have appealed their case to the Supreme Court. Despite all the negative outcries, spokesmen for the wind industry say people should not lose sight of the benefits of wind power, including clean energy.
“If we want to advance towards a cleaner environment, sacrifices have to be made”, says Ryan Clancy a resident of Fort Kent, “appearance and other trivial characteristics are insignificant compared to tons of greenhouse gases”.
Ryan attends school in Southern Maine and notes that the coast around Portland is littered with massive oil drums. Portland is in fact the largest oil port on the east coast of the U.S., but it is equally important to note that Maine is also the most heavily forested state in the nation, with over 90% of its land mass covered with trees; 17.7 million acres to be exact.This, no doubt, reflects Maine’s priorities.
As the debate continues on, it has led many to wonder, how exactly the state will proceed? Will Mainers elect to save the environment through continued preservation efforts but still be dependent on oil for its power? Or will residents join the green revolution and allow the production of wind farms across the state, lessening their dependence on oil? In this debate one thing is certain. Mainer’s will no doubt stand firm, they understand that Maine’s scenic quality is an attribute that lays deep in the culture of the state and the hearts of its citizens.