Letter to MPUC on proposed wind farm off Monhegan Island

December 17, 2013

Maine Public Utilities Commission

18 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0018

Dear Sir or Madam:

The Boothbay Register has reported there is a proposal (Maine Aqua Ventus) before you to install two floating wind turbines approximately two miles south of Monhegan Island as a pilot project that could eventually lead to up to 50 wind turbines in that area.

My wife and I, residents of Kittery, Maine and summer residents of East Boothbay, firmly oppose this development and urge you to reject this proposal.

Both my wife and I care ardently about the environment and do not oppose the development of wind energy in Maine. However, we do oppose the wanton destruction of wildlife. We are greatly concerned about the risks that a wind farm at this particular site might pose to wildlife.

Research has documented that wind turbines can do great damage to birds and bats. The extent of risk is still an ongoing area of research, but large-scale mass mortality events of birds have occurred when wind farms have been sited on migration routes. Wind farms are known not only to kill small migratory birds but also large birds, such as bald eagles and osprey. A large wind farm in Wyoming (Duke Energy Renewables) recently pled guilty to the slaughter of over 160 birds, including 14 eagles.

More important, perhaps, is the risk to bats. The newest research suggests that bats are attracted to wind turbines and are killed in far greater numbers than are birds. Bats are also migratory and do occur in the offshore environment. Burdened with the threat of the rapidly spreading lethal White Nose Syndrome, bats are quickly becoming some of Maine’s most imperiled species.

For these reasons, we are gravely worried about the risk to wildlife from any wind turbines placed near Monhegan Island. Monhegan is directly on a critical coastal migration route for birds and bats. As avid birders, we have often visited Monhegan during migration and have always been struck by the great numbers of rare species visible as the birds make landfall after crossing the long expanse of the Gulf of Maine.

Although we disapprove of any wind turbines being erected near Monhegan Island, if the commission decides to continue with this proposal, we insist that a careful study of bird and bat numbers, seasonality and migration height be pursued for a minimum of four years before test turbines are erected. This amount of time is necessary to understand how birds and bats migrate at different altitudes during the full variety of atmospheric conditions and how they might be impacted by the proposed wind turbines.

While we do not oppose the development of wind farms and are committed to pursuing renewable energy, we also realize that development has its own costs. Wind farms can provide “clean” energy if they are properly sited away from bird and bat migration routes. Unfortunately, we are gravely concerned that the proposed wind turbines near Monhegan Island will not be clean at all but will be polluted by the blood of our wildlife.

Sincerely,

Tyler and Marcia Tingley