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Feb 26, 2017

FOAA 2016. ME Coastal Prog re Main AquaVentus April- November 2016

Maine Coastal Program's 11/22/16 response to FOAA  request re Aquaventus/Volturnus. The FOPB request was for "Public records in custody of you or your staff dating from April 1, 2016 to November 14, 2016 that pertain to the Maine Aquaventus /Volturnus floating ocean wind turbines project, slated to occupy the Maine Offshore Wind Test Center."    Below the links, see list of persons  within these emails


Full Part 2  All emails in one pdf file

Part 2A, Laura Singer to Matt Nixon 6/29/16 and 7/1/16

Part 2B Barbara Hitchcock to Singer & Singer to Hitchcock 7/5/16

Part 2C Barbara Hitchcock - Nixon 7/6/16

Part 2D Bensinger to Burrowes. 7/12/16 (twice)

Part 2E Barbara Hitchcock, Matt Nixon, Laura Singer, 7/5 & 7/6

Part 2F Beth Nagusky, Todd Burrowes 6/27/ 6/30, 7/18

Part 2G Nixon, Leyden, Burrowes, Marvinney. 7/18, 7/28, 11/1,

Part 2H FOPB FOAA request 11/14/16

State Agencies in emails
Kathleen Leyden  <Kathleen.Leyden@maine.gov> Dir Maine Coastal Program (MCP)
Mark Bergeron  <Mark.Bergeron@maine.gov>   Dir DEP Bureau of Lands
Robert G. Marvinney <Robert.G.Marvinney@maine.gov>  ME Geologic Survey
Patrick C. Woodcock <Patrick.C.Woodcock@maine.gov> Governor's Energy Office
Meredith Mendelson <Meredith.Mendelson@maine.gov>  DMR Deputy Commissioner
Philip deMaynadier <Phillip.deMaynadier@maine.gov>  DIFW Coordinator
Todd Burrowes <Todd.Burrowes@maine.gov>  MCP federal consistency reviewer
Peggy Bensinger  <Peggy.Bensinger@maine.gov>  MDEP's  Asst AG
Matthew Nixon  <Matthew.E.Nixon@maine.gov>  MCP  GIS &  Ocean Planning

Monhegan Residents in emails
* Barbara Hitchcock barbaramonhegan@gmail.com Monhegan resHitchcock House
* Laura T Singer <lsinger@maine.rr.com> Monhegan Resident

Wind Industry in emails
* Beth Nagusky <bnagusky@leedco.org>  Lake Erie Energy Development ,Fmr Maine renewable energy czar

* Info@windindustry.com   "website for the windindustry"

* Val Stori  <val@cleanegroup.org> Clean Energy Group, http://www.cleanegroup.org/blog-author/val-stori/







Windpower, tidepower at 2013 Maine Fishermen's Forum

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management  hosted an event at the 2013  Maine Fisherman;'s Forum

Feb 25, 2017

Maine ocean windpower events at the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2010 -2013

Maine Fishermens Forum ocean windpower events

boem/ff_2012_wind_pt2_ken_fletcher5_1min _30sec.mp3
boem/ff_2012_wind_pt2_ken_fletcher3_2min50 sec.mp3

Feb 23, 2017

Controversial plan for ramp and flat in bird-rich Watts Cove mudflat wins appeal


SAINT GEORGE.  Last night the Saint George town office hosted the latest fight between attorneys sparring  before the Planning Board for  the two sides in a longterm  struggle for and against keeping Watts Cove, a natural tidal flat, free of piers and floats. All are invited.   St George town office location map

The Saint George Board of Appeals meeting was called  after shoreland property owners Bryce and Gail Molloy  found  the Town Planning Board on January 10, 2017 had ruled against them one more time  again rejecting the application  put a ramp and float into Saint George's biodiverse Watts Cove.

 This had followed the  December 15th decision by Saint George Board of Appeals to send the application back to the planning board. That decision followed  the November 17, 2016 appeal by Bryce & Gail Molloy of the rejection of  their second application on October 4th  to build a ramp with chained floats extending out from the shore of Watts Cove, a small intertidal embayment of the tidal Saint George River.


Saint George resident Matt Stern, a member of the  Significant Wildlife Preservation Committee  a prominent opponent of the Molloy plan, said that not all waterfront is the same.    

 "If you want a place to use powerboats and jets skis" he said, "maybe that shouldn't be done in a  wildlife area that's a mudflat. Maybe you should have another place to do that."  Listen to Matt Stern February 18th interview on WRFR Community Radio 22min

According to Stern, Watts Cove's importance for wildlife is well documented by Maine  Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.  Stern and other concerned Saint George residents in the Significant Wildlife Preservation Committee  commissioned  environmental consultants Paul Leeper of Moody Mtn Env. (report)) and Sr Ecologist Richard Podolski PhD of the Ecology And Technology firm, (report) . Both identify Watts Cove and surrounds as high quality, highly productive estuarine shore and wading bird and shellfish habitat.

Ron Huber of Friends of Penobscot Bay noted that like many bay towns, Saint George's ordinance looks at all of its shorefront as having more or less the same economic and ecological value. 

"We know that this is not the case", he said. "Communities need to adopt ordinances protective of their irreplaceable  natural shoreland and marine habitats and scenic areas. This can be done without running afoul of  laws and ordinances protecting landowners' property rights."

"The state has come up with ways to evaluate the quality of  every town's scenic resources. This can help  steer development away from what is irreplaceable," Huber said. 

Stern noted that the  ordinance" kind of looks at all waterfront as the same". 

We are at a juncture," he said.

# #

Feb 20, 2017

Monhegan ocean windpower history:Legislators in 2010 developing Maine's offshore windpower law-AUDIO

Below are links to mp3  audio recordings of the Maine legislature's Energy Utilities and Technology Committee in March 2010 holding its historic public hearing and three worksessions on Maine's ocean windpower bill LD 1810, An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Governor's Ocean Energy Task Force.  (as passed into law)

3/11/10  Public Hearing on LD 1810. AUDIO

Introduction 7 minutes 
Senator Hobbins Sponsor of LD 1810 6 min
Representative Leila Percy, Co chair Marine Resources Comm 2 min
Beth Nagusky MDEP Energy Office 12 min
Beth Nagusky questioned 18 min
Senator Kevin Raye 8 min
Rep Stacey Fitts, Co sponsor 12 min
Rep Seth Berry 4:17 min
George Lapointe. DMR  6 min
George Lapointe Q & A  5 min

Chuck Digate, Neptune Wind 
Chuck Digate, Neptune Q&A
Bob Baynes. Lobsterman  2 min
Shawn Mahoney, CLF  7 min
John Ferland, Ocean Renewable Power Co  9 min
Lance Burton of Castine 3 min
Bill Staby, Resolute Energy  4min
J. Monroe, Blue Water Dynamos  11 min
Ron Huber, Penobscot Bay Watch 7 min

Bob Moore, Dead River Oil, 11 min
Ned Bulmer, Maine Energy Marketing Assn  9 min
Carol Lee ex head of Bangor Hydro 7min 
Caroll Lee, Q&A 6 min
John Pierce of Harspwell 4 min
Chris O'Neill, Saco 10 min  

3/18/10 Work session #1 on LD 1810. AUDIO                                             

3/23/10 Work session#2 on LD 1810 AUDIO
Introduction 90 seconds 
Beth Nagusky Q&A 2 12 minutes
Beth Nagusky Q&A 4 9 minutes
Beth Nagusky Q&A 5 17 minutes

3/24/10 Work session#3 on LD 1810. AUDIO
Part 1 14 minutes Review of  amendments
Part 2 13 min BEP & Municipalities
Part 3 7 min Preamble amendments. Criteria for projects
Part 4 12 min Ocean wind green standard offer 
Part 5 8 min  Pricing and funding
Part 6 16 min Where's PUC. What jobs would come
Part 7 13 min Pilot project RFP  Cert of convenience 
Part 8 9 min Not enough info to make goals
Part 9 10 min renewable energy goals
Part 10 8 min Rep Thibideau & Public Advocate Davies
Part 11 8 min  Stop hiding the costs. Make Maine leader.
Part 12 10 min Involve Marine Resource Advisory Council
Part 13 11 min Ocean wind green standard  discussed
Part 14 9 min Additional transmission line capacity issue
Part 15 4 min duplicate policy statements fix. Language review tomorrow
Part 16 8 min Final Motion and discussion.

End


AUDIO
March 11, 2010 public hearing on LD 1810 (Note these 3/10/2010 recordings are on the Internet Archive; they may take a little more time to load)