Plan: 1,000 turbines by 2020 (Maine)

[jpak]

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=168358&ac=PHnws

A state task force has drafted a road map that it says will make Maine a major generator of wind power.

The group's draft report calls for streamlined regulatory review of wind power projects in most regions of the state so that 1,000 or more turbines could be set up by 2020. It also identifies important scenic areas -- places such as Baxter State Park, Acadia National Park and the Appalachian Trail -- that would be protected from the visual impacts of wind farms.

"This is a major step forward," said Alec Giffen, director of the Maine Forest Service and chairman of the Governor's Task Force on Wind Power. "It's going to put Maine in a position to be a leader in wind power and it's going to preserve Maine's quality of place."

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Maine should seek to host at least 2,000 megawatts of wind power capacity by 2015, and 3,000 megawatts by 2020, according to the task force report.

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