Weyerhaeuser/Plum Creek pull out of petition battle with Moosehead Group
Moosehead Region Futures Committee, P.O. Box 164, Greenville Junction, ME 04442 | Contact: Richard McDonald – 207-604-4760
Moosehead Region Futures Committee, P.O. Box 164, Greenville Junction, ME 04442 | Contact: Richard McDonald – 207-604-4760
May 18, 2016
Moosehead Lake, ME. This afternoon, the Weyerhaeuser Company instructed the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) to withdraw its request for substantive reviews for the petitions for removal from the expedited wind area for Sapling and Long Pond Townships and Taunton- Raynham Academy Grant – all three unorganized territories were integral to the proposed SunEdison Somerset Wind development planned for Misery Ridge west of Moosehead Lake. Weyerhaeuser was leasing land to SunEdison, who with all of its subsidiaries, filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy on April 21, 2016.
SunEdison was proposing a 26 turbine development within a conservation easement along Misery Ridge. The easement was negotiated during the Plum Creek Concept Plan and was intended to mitigate the impact of Plum Creek’s extensive residential development plan. Weyerhaeuser merged with Plum Creek in 2015 and assumed formal control of their holdings in 2016.
“If Weyerhaeuser is pulling the plug on the Misery Ridge project, it’s a great day for the Moosehead region. The negative impact of this project on the region’s tourism-based economy and quality of place was obvious. Avoiding this disaster will allow us to redirect or energy and our resources to growing our economy and promoting the richness and world-class natural beauty that makes this region outstanding,” said John Willard, President of the Moosehead Region Futures Committee.
“The petition process involved a number of energized local residents who gathered the required signatures and organized the submissions to LUPC. This region is known for its hardworking, dedicated people who have proven once again they are determined to protect their homeland as they demonstrated during the Plum Creek Concept Plan proceedings. They deserve a great deal of the credit for this outcome” added Willard.
The Moosehead Region Futures Committee has taken the lead in defending the petitions and will continue to monitor this situation. They are prepared to renew their opposition efforts if necessary.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/05/19/weyerhaeuserplum-creek-pull-out-of-petition-battle-with-moosehead-group/