Maine DEP to Hold Public Hearing on Mountain Wind Project
The Maine DEP will be holding a public hearing within the next few months, regarding the proposal on a wind project by Champlain Wind. The department will also be accepting petitions for the intervener’s status in that hearing process through Jan. 7, 2013.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will be holding a public hearing on a proposal from Champlain Wind, LLC – a subsidiary of First Wind – to erect a 16-turbine, 48-megawatt wind farm atop Bowers Mountain in Carroll Plantation and Kossuth Township. DEP reviews all grid scale wind energy proposals in the state.
Applications usually are subject to two public meetings, however, the department commissioner may choose to hold a public hearing if impacted members of the public request one. Patricia Aho, DEP Commissioner, received multiple public hearing requests and has granted them, saying it would be helpful to her agency’s decision-making process to hold a hearing.
Members of the public who wish to provide comments for DEP’s consideration about the application do not need to petition to intervene and will still have a chance to speak during a public comment session adjacent to the hearing and to submit written comments. The public hearing will be held this spring, but a specific date has yet to be determined.