AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Maine’s Republican governor is behind a bill to gut most of the state’s fast-track permitting process for commercial wind power projects.
The Portland Press Herald reports Gov. Paul LePage’s bill is part of his recent efforts against Maine’s wind power industry.
The governor recently announced a moratorium on new wind permits in Maine and created a commission that would study the economic impact of wind turbines on western Maine mountains, coastal areas and along migratory bird pathways.
The governor’s bill would still allow fast-track permitting for more than a dozen towns, plantations and townships in Aroostook County. Energy office director Steven McGrath said the country didn’t raise the same concerns as western and coastal Maine.
The bill isn’t scheduled for a hearing yet.
