Today more than 20 organizations are announcing their support of the proposed Black Nubble Wind Farm. We believe that this is the largest and most diverse collection of organizations that have ever assembled in Maine to endorse a specific wind power project.
A recent public opinion poll showed that 85 percent of Maine people support wind power as a way of increasing renewable energy.
We are the voices of that majority.
We are the voices of those who believe that the time has come to address our addiction to fossil fuels – to protect public health, improve our security, and reduce harm to our planet and the future.
We are the voices of Maine businesses and homeowners who want to purchase clean power generated from the wind that blows across Maine.
Most importantly, we are the voices of Maine people who understand that global warming is real, that climate change is underway, and that the time to act is now.
NASA scientist James Hansen believes that we have 10 years to significantly reduce greenhouse gases before global warming reaches a tipping point and becomes unstoppable. Top scientists believe that we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent from current levels by the middle of this century. We can do it. We must do it. But it won’t be easy.
Each of us has opportunities to act in our personal lives to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but we also need to support the construction of new clean power plants like Black Nubble that will reduce our dependence on oil, coal, and gas.
The revised Black Nubble project strikes the right balance, providing new clean power and important protection of Maine’s last undeveloped and unprotected 4,000-ft peak. This sensible compromise provides an opportunity for parties on all sides of the original Redington Wind Farm controversy to find common ground. We need to do that to move forward as a state. We need to come together if we hope to achieve the big steps that will be required of us in the future to succeed in addressing the threat of global warming.
We believe that the Black Nubble project is consistent with the broad interests of the overwhelming majority of Maine people. For that reason, the groups and individuals gathered here today urge Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission to approve the Black Nubble permit application when the time comes to do so.
