Meter ban winding down

To the editor:

Ed Friedman, et. al., have filed an appeal (a 19-person complaint v. Maine Public Utilities Commission appeal) with the Maine Supreme Court regarding Smart Meters in Maine.

The appeal addresses health safety, privacy, opt-out fees and other issues and is scheduled for hearing by the court in 2012.

Thus, Maine PUC’s decision allowing CMP/ Iberdrola to install wireless Smart Meters in Maine is a matter in question, as is the legality of CMP’s opt-out fees.

Citizens of Bath have been, to date, under the protection of the Bath City Council’s prudent action of a 180-day Smart Meter moratorium. The moratorium’s time is now running out, and consideration of a renewal option is on the agenda at Wednesday’s Bath City Council meeting.

Whether you are a resident of Bath or of another Maine town, won’t you e-mail, phone or fax Bath Council members with your thoughts and/or be at the meeting in support of renewal of the moratorium.

We all are in need and deserve our due opportunity for well- informed personal choice with regard to our private homes and in our communities.

Louise Sharp

Bath

A clear signal

To the editor:

On Nov. 16, representatives from Lexington Township, Concord Township and Highland Plantation delivered signed petitions to Gov. Paul LePage’s office as evidence that a majority of the residents in these three communities are opposed to the building of grid-scale wind facilities on the mountains surrounding our homes.

We respectfully request that Iberdrola Renewables live up to the promise of the energy corporation’s chairman, Ignacio Galan, who said, “If Maine signals that it’s no longer friendly to wind power, the global energy company will expand elsewhere.”

Lexington, Concord and Highland have sent that signal, loud and clear.

We also ask that Angus King and Rob Gardiner, the principals of Highland Wind LLC, abandon any plans to erect turbines on the mountains in Highland Plantation.

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife stated in review comments regarding their proposed project that “the collective wildlife concerns … demonstrate that this is not an appropriate locality for an intensive wind energy installation such as that currently proposed by Highland Wind Power.”

In addition, the majority of Highland Plantation residents have signed petitions stating that Highland Wind is not welcome in their community. There is no way to be any clearer than that.

Will these wind developers respect the resolve of the people or will they ignore the residents of these rural Somerset County communities and push ahead with their plans, regardless of our public stance?

Maine is watching as citizens take a stand and make their voices heard. This is a critical and pivotal moment in our history. Let us hope that the outcome is one we Mainers can be proud of.

Karen Bessey Pease

Lexington Township