November 1, 2014
Maine

Carthage woman loses appeal over wind farm

By Rachel Ohm | Morning Sentinel | October 31, 2014 | www.pressherald.com

An appeal filed by a Carthage resident opposing the 62-turbine Bingham Wind Project has been dismissed by the Board of Environmental Protection. Blue Sky West, the project developer, had filed a motion to dismiss.

The appeal, by Alice McKay Barnett, was one of two filed in reaction to the Department of Environmental Protection’s approval of the Bingham Wind Project in September. It stated that Blue Sky’s protocol for dealing with noise complaints related to the turbines is not adequate and asked the department to put in place a noise complaint hot line managed by local health officials.

In a decision handed down Friday, the appeal was rejected on grounds that McKay Barnett would not be affected by the wind farm at her home in Carthage, more than 40 miles away. She did not return a request for comment Friday.

“The appeal documents do not state, or provide any evidence demonstrating, that the appellant would suffer a particularized injury as a result of the licensing decision,” wrote Robert A. Foley, chairman of the BEP, in the decision.

The dismissal followed a motion filed by Blue Sky, a subsidiary of First Wind, on Oct. 28 asking the board to dismiss McKay Barnett’s appeal because she did not meet the definition of an “aggrieved person,” or person who would suffer as a result of a licensing decision.

The decision does not affect an appeal filed by Friends of Maine’s Mountains, on which the board has until Nov. 17 to rule.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/11/01/carthage-woman-loses-appeal-over-wind-farm/