LINCOLNVILLE 2022 PIER MORATORIUM QUESTION

 

Prospect Maine's successful 2022 Pier Moratorium question

Prospect Maine's  2022 Pier moratorium question

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Big Gas 3/22/16. Rockland's latest draft of utility scale powerplant ordinance. Plus Index & Links

Rockland, Maine is lobster capitol of Maine. This small city on the western shore of  Penobscot Bay is in the throes of developing a powerplant ordinance geared toward  gasburning powerplants. Big Gas is having a big say in its contents. Please take a look at the March 22, 2016 draft  (below) and tell us what you think.  NOTE: Coming Event: March 24, 2016   Public review of latest version of the energy ordinances..

At issue: Gas dealmaker Energy Management Inc has been pushing a plan to build a fueled-by-tanker-truck gas power plant in Rockland. This would be follwed by  running gas pipelines  along the western shore of Penobscot Bay to Belfast.  Recent media coverage

March 22, 2016 version.
A. Index of  draft changes  below.  Existing Chapter 16 Site Plan Review  and Ch 19 Zoning and Planning 
B 3/22/16 Changes to Chapter 16 of Rockland Ordinance
C. 3/22/16 Changes to Chapter 19 of Rockland Ordinance


Earlier version:
February 23, 2016 version of draft utility powerplant ordinance changes

* 2/23/16 Changes to Chapter 16 of Rockland Ordinance Site review and planning    yellow=most recent edits, red=previous changes 

* 2/2316_Changes to Chapter 19 of Rockland Ordinances  (Performance standards)  

yellow=most recent edits, red=previous changes 

Fr left:Pro-gas Rockland city officials:city atty Beal. Mayor Ruf,
 city mgr Chaousis & City Councilor Clayton (facing away)

AUDIO 
* Hear the above two  draft documents discussed & further amended  at the 3/10/16  Rockland planning board meeting   Audio mp3s)

* Rockland city council 12/14/15 votes for moratorium on gas plan 

Freedom of Access Act. 
Results re Gas plan

Rockland city FOAA's re big gas plan 2015 May June September and October 2015

Here are most of the FOAA'd documents relating to the plan to build a big gas power plant  and a big gas pipeline to feed it.  Request were for  "Meeting records, letters, faxes, emaits, attachments, phone notes, phone logs, photographs and other written and electronic records written, received or recorded by you from any source, between April 1, 2015 and May 11, 2015, inclusive, that pertain to Rockland Energy Center or its parent entity Energy Management, Inc. "

April and May 2015 FOAA  results for Rockland officials re gas plans 4/1/15 - 5/11/15

May 11th 2015 

http://penobscotbay.blogspot.com/2015/05/rockland-gas-cogeneration-plan.html

May and June 2015

FOAA Results  for Rockland Officials  re gas May 12 2015 and June 22, 2015,

September 2015  http://penobscotbay.blogspot.com/2015/09/foaa-responses-of-rockland-officials-re.html

Sept 2015 http://penobscotbay.blogspot.com/2015/09/larry-pritchetts-foaa-response-broken.html

 October 2015  http://penobscotbay.blogspot.com/2015/10/fopb-foaas-rockland-city-officials.html

Listen to Rockland city council giving preliminary approval to a 6 month moratorium on Big Energy projects 12/14/15

Rockland city council gives initial approval to 6 month moratorium on Big Energy projects 

On  December 14, 2015 Rockland city council gave preliminary approval to a 6 month moratorium on Big Energy projects    Read draft moratorium (jpeg)                                                                            Second reading and final approval will take place on January 11, 2016

* Audio Rockland City Council considers moratorium on utility-scale energy projects 43min 

* Audio Final Rockland City Council  vote passing moratorium in First Reading. One minute

Tonight the Rockland city council passed - in first reading- a  6 month moratorium on considering any ten megawatt or bigger power plant applications. 

  Proposed moratorium was introduced by Councilman William Jillson. This is the first ordinance proposed by Jillson, who defeated Rockland's pro-gas councilor/mayor Frank Isganitis in the recent election.. 

So far...So Good!, Bill!

The moratorium still has to have a second reading and final vote.

But it seems clear that the needed three council members:  Jillson,  Valli Geiger and Larry Pritchett  have looked into the concerns their People have been raising about the weakness of city ordinances to take on big gas  industrial operations coastal natural gas power plant, and found them compelling.  

Moratorium opponents were either vague on why - Rockland's new mayor Louise MacLellan-Ruf. 

Or as in Councilor Will Clayton, repeating  the absent gas guy Evan Coleman's talking points: 

* What if Coleman came up with a super duper proposal two months from now?  He'd have to wait 4 months more while the city developed its big gas ordinance.

* What if some unknown would be gas power applicants suddenly appeared and had a super duper good proposal -  but then had to wait until the city drafted an ordinance? 

* What if  some UNKNOWN CITY  INDUSTRIAL LANDOWNER has to wait 6 months until regulation are developed before submitting his application?    

One supposes these frustrated corporate persons would  take their polluting industry elsewhere.  Suffice it to say no new applicant has arisen, and no new property owner eager to turn their property into a gas plant. has been identified. "Thomaston" some have said.