November 8, 2010
Maine

Five people arrested at Rollins Mountain protest

Mike DeSumma, Multimedia Journalist, wlbz2.com

LINCOLN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) – Several people who tried to block construction on a new wind farm in the Lincoln area were arrested Monday morning.

More than 20 people came out to voice their outrage with Boston-based “First Wind” ‘s plan to build 40 wind turbines on the Rollins Mountain range between the towns of Lincoln and Lee. Five protestors from the group were arrested for blocking traffic to the job site and refusing to leave.

The group “Friends of Lincoln Lakes,” which organized the protest, has tried to block construction by legal means yet has not been successful. Its members say the wind farm would create noise that would have a drastic effect on the environment.

The group says belief in their cause is growing.

“Citizens recognize this isn’t green power,” said Dr. Gary Steinberg, who is a founder of the group, “This is greed power. This is power and industrial development for subsidy scamming. That’s what’s started here.”

“First Wind” offered a statement on the protest saying it is looking forward to moving ahead with the project. The company says the construction of the wind farm will bring work to 200 people in the state and power to 24,000 Maine homes once completed.

The “Friends of Lincoln Lakes” say they plan to file more complaints in efforts to stop the project.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/11/08/five-people-arrested-at-rollins-mountain-protest/