Maine Wind Energy Act Repeal and Amendment (2016)

Maine Wind Energy Act Repeal and Amendment

Election date
November 8, 2016
Topic
Bond issues
Status
Not on the ballot
Type
State statute| Origin
Citizens

* * *

The Wind Energy Act Repeal and Amendment was an initiated state statute proposed for the Maine ballot on November 8, 2016. The measure did not qualify for the ballot.

The initiative was designed to change the criteria for wind energy development, remove sections that set goals for wind energy development, and repeal sections of the law that permit expedited allowance of grid-scale wind energy development.[1]

## Contents

* 1 Text of Measure
* 1.1 Summary
* 1.2 Full text
* 2 Path to the ballot
* 3 See also
* 4 Footnotes

## Text of Measure[edit]

### Summary[edit]

The measure summary was as follows:[1]

“  | This initiated bill removes the provisions of law that allow expedited permitting of grid-scale wind energy development, repeals the laws that set goals for wind energy development and amends the laws governing wind energy to change the criteria for wind energy development.

It requires an applicant for a license or permit for a new wind energy development or an expansion or modification of an existing wind energy development to receive a public benefit determination from the Commissioner of Environmental Protection that the development meets certain criteria, including providing a substantial benefit to ratepayers in this State and meeting wind turbine noise standards and environmental standards. It amends the laws governing the effects of wind energy development on scenic resources to allow for the consideration of cumulative effects related to multiple wind energy facilities and multiple scenic resources.

Current law requiring a visual impact assessment of wind energy development provides for such assessment within 8 miles of a scenic resource of state or national significance; this initiated bill increases that distance to 18 miles and provides for assessment beyond that distance if certain conditions are met. It creates a rebuttable presumption of unreasonable adverse effect on scenic character if the wind energy development is located within 18 miles of Acadia National Park, the Appalachian Trail, Baxter State Park, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway or a federally designated wilderness area.[2]

| ”

|
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### Full text[edit]

The full text of the measure can be found here.

## Path to the ballot[edit]

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Maine and Signature requirements for ballot measures in Maine

* Daniel P. Remian submitted the petition and the measure was issued on October 31, 2014.[3]
* To qualify for the ballot, proponents needed to collect 61,123 signatures, which is 10 percent of the total votes cast for governor in November 2014, by February 1, 2016.
* The secretary of state reported petitioners did not submit signatures.
* In Maine, initiative petitions have specific expiration dates that can extend beyond deadlines for specific election years.
* This initiative petition expired on April 30, 2016.[3]

## See also[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* 2016 ballot measures
* Maine 2016 ballot measures

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Maine.gov, "Legislation," accessed January 26, 2016
2. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Maine.gov, "Citizen Initiative Petitions Currently Approved for Circulation," accessed January 27, 2016

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