[at-l] REdington Victory

[Bob C]

Maine's Land Use Regulation Commission this afternoon voted 6-1 to reject the construction of 30 wind turbines located as close as a mile from the Appalachian Trail on Redington and Black Nubble Mountains.

The $150 million project, under discussion for the past 15 years, would have had a capacity of 90 megawatts, making it the largest wind power project ever proposed for New England.

The Maine Appalachian Trail Club, assisted by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, had been the key opponents, and had won the support of the Appalachian Mountain Club, Maine Audubon, the National Park Service and other environmental groups concerned with the future of the Western Maine Mountains.

The commission staff had recommended approval. But the board, which was created in 1970 to keep Maine's unorganized townships wild, rejected it's staff recommendation and voted to ask the staff to draft another report containing legal criteria for rejection. The new report will be presented to the board in a few weeks, at which time and if the prelimary decision today prevails, the project will have been finally defeated.

During the six hour discussion board members stressed the proximity of the Appalachian Trail as the prime reason for rejecting the project.

Pamela Underhill, director of the trail for the National Park Service, had opposed the project at hearings last fall, and spoke briefly at the decision meeting. She said the park service is not opposed to wind energy, but did oppose this project because of it's impact of the scenic qualities of the trail.

MATC and ATC had spent nearly $200,000 in hiring legal and environmental experts to oppose the development. A special fund raising effort, however, fell well short of the money needed for the battle. We continue to struggle to make up the deficit encumbered by this victory for the trail.

Weary