1     Fox  Islands  Wind  Project   Vinalhaven,  Maine  

   

I.

Introduction  and  Project  Overview    

         Vinalhaven  and  North  Haven  are  two  small  islands,  collectively  known  as  the  Fox  Islands.  They  are   located  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean  off  the  coast  of  Maine,  and  are  about  80  miles  northeast  of  Portland.     There  is  no  land  bridge  to  the  islands;  they  are  accessible  by  boat,  including  ferry  service,  and  by  air.   The  islands  are  relatively  compact  -­‐  Vinalhaven  has  a  land  area  of  about  25  square  miles  and  North   Haven  has  a  land  area  around  12  miles.                In  November  2009,  a  community-­‐owned  and  operated  wind  facility  designed  to  provide  power  to   residents  of  both  islands  began  operation.    It  is  the  first  wind  energy  farm  in  Maine’s  coastal  area  to  go   into  operation.    The  facility,  known  as  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project,  is  located  on  the  interior  of   Vinalhaven.    It  consists  of  three  General  Electric  wind  turbines  with  a  combined  capacity  of  4.5   megawatts;  each  wind  turbine  is  118.5  meters  tall.    On  a  yearly  basis,  the  turbines  are  expected  to   generate  around  11,600  megawatt  hours  of  electricity,i  an  amount  slightly  larger  than  the  Fox  Islands’   yearly  use  of  electricity,  which  is  estimated  to  be  approximately  10,500  megawatt  hours.ii          

II.

Demographics      

       Vinalhaven,  the  larger  of  the  two  islands,  has  a  year-­‐round  population  of  about  1200,  and  a  summer   population  of  over  4000.    North  Haven  is  smaller,  with  a  year-­‐round  population  of  about  400  and  a   summer  population  of  around  800.iii  According  to  a  Harvard  Business  School  case  study  of  the  wind   project,  Vinalhaven’s  economy  is  largely  dependent  on  a  lobster  industry,  while  North  Haven  “is   dominated  by  maintaining  its  summer  resort  community.”iv    According  to  the  2000  census,  the  median   incomes  of  year-­‐round  households  on  Vinalhaven  and  North  Haven  are  around  $34,000v  and  $40,000vi   respectively.  Seasonal  residents  of  the  islands  are  typically  wealthy  (HBS  case  study).  North  Haven  island   residents  include  U.S.  Congresswoman  Chellie  Pingree,  and  Maine  Speaker  of  the  House  Hannah   Pingree.          

III.

Background  of  Project  

a. History  of  Fox  Islands  Electric  Cooperative              Since  the  Fox  Islands  do  not  have  a  land  bridge  to  the  mainland,  access  to  the  mainland  grid  has   ranged  from  non-­‐existent  to  problematic.    Initially,  electricity  for  the  Fox  Islands  was  generated  and   provided  by  Vinalhaven  Light  &  Power  Company,  an  island-­‐based  utility,  using  diesel  generators.    In  the   early  1970s,  in  response  to  service  issues,  islanders  voted  to  form  a  community-­‐owned  electrical   cooperative,  and  purchased  Vinalhaven  Light  &  Power.    Two  years  later,  the  co-­‐op,  named  Fox  Islands   Electric  Cooperative  (FIEC),  had  a  “10-­‐mile  submarine  electric  cable  put  in  place  between  North  Haven   and  Central  Maine  Power  Company’s  lines  at  Rockport,  on  the  mainland.”vii  The  cable  provided  a   relatively  reliable  source  of  electricity  to  the  islands,  but  at  a  cost  of  28  cents  per  kilowatt  hour,  which   was  about  three  times  the  national  average  cost  of  electricity,  and  about  twice  the  average  cost  in  New   England.viii      

2            Due  in  large  part  to  high  electricity  rates,  the  FIEC  began  to  explore  the  possibility  of  using  wind   energy  in  2001.    In  2002,  the  cooperative  received  a  grant  for  a  three-­‐year  study  to  be  conducted  by  the   University  of  Massachusetts  Renewable  Energy  Research  Laboratory.    The  purpose  of  the  study  was  to   determine  is  wind  power  was  a  feasible  alternative.    The  site  studied  was  a  piece  of  land  on  Vinalhaven   owned  by  two  island  residents  who  were  amenable  to  the  idea  of  leasing  the  land  for  a  wind  energy   facility.    The  study’s  results  indicated  that  the  site’s  wind  resource  was  “good,  but  not  great”  (HBS  case   study.ix                In  2005,  the  submarine  cable  connecting  the  islands  with  the  mainland,  which  had  been  operating   unreliably,  was  replaced.  The  cable,  which  was  owned  by  the  FIEC,  would  become  an  integral  part  of  the   wind  project,  by  supporting  the  transfer  of  electricity  from  the  islands  to  the  mainland  in  times  of  deficit   or  surplus  as  a  result  of  varying  demand  and  wind  conditions.x     b. Financing              Early  in  2008,  the  FIEC  decided  to  pursue  a  wind  power  project.  They  requested  assistance  from  the   Island  Institute,  a  nonprofit  organization  chartered  to  provide  assistance  to  Maine’s  coastal  islands,   located  in  Rockland,  Maine.xi    Philip  Conkling,  president  of  the  Island  Institute,  and  Dr.  George  Baker,  a   Harvard  Business  School  Professor  on  leave  who  is  also  the  Renewable  Energy  Specialist  for  the  Island   Institute,  prepared  a  preliminary  economic  analysis  and  a  financial  model.xii    “George  Baker  became   involved  in  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  project  through  the  Island  Institute,  where  he  served  as  Vice  President   for  Community  Wind”  (HBS  case  study).  The  economic  analysis  indicated  that  a  wind  energy  facility   could  lower  electric  rates  on  the  islands  on  the  order  of  a  few  cents  per  kilowatt  hour  of  use  for  the  first   decade,  with  a  more  striking  decrease  in  kilowatt  cost  in  the  second  decade  of  the  project  (Project   Background).            The  cost  of  the  wind  energy  project  was  estimated  to  be  14.5  million  dollars.  (Conkling)    Its  capital   requirements  were  greater  than  typical  wind  projects  because  of  its  lack  of  scale  and  its  location  on  an   island  that  is  not  connected  to  the  mainland  (HBS  case  study).  Substantial  federal  tax  credits  existed  to   offset  the  cost  of  wind  facilities,  but  FIEC,  because  of  its  status  as  a  non-­‐profit,  was  not  eligible  for  the   credits.    A  separate  for-­‐profit  entity,  Fox  Islands  Wind  LLC,  with  Dr.  Baker  as  CEO,  was  formed  to  take   advantage  of  the  tax  credits.    The  tax  credits  were  then  transferred  to  Diversified  Communication,  a   family-­‐owned  and  privately  held  Maine-­‐based  corporation,  as  part  of  an  arrangement  that  included   Diversified’s  investment  of  five  million  dollars  in  the  project.  The  company,  which  owns  television   stations,  magazines,  and  puts  on  trade  shows  internationally,  was  started  by  former  Maine  Governor   Horace  A.  Hildreth  Sr.    His  son,  Horace  A.  Hildreth  Jr.,  a  longtime  summer  resident  of  Vinalhaven,xiii    is   currently  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors.      Hildreth  Jr.  was  also  formerly  chairman  of  the  board  of   the  Island  Institute,  and  is  currently  Chairman  Emeritus.xiv  The  agreement  between  Fox  Islands  Wind  LLC   and  Diversified  called  for  Diversified  to  sell  their  partial  ownership  back  to  the  cooperative  after  five   years  (Urquhart).    Because  it  is  a  privately  held  company,  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain  how  much  the  tax   credits  were  actually  worth,  but  several  estimates  indicate  that  the  internal  return  on  the  five  million   investment  is  somewhere  between  9  and  15  percent  (Audio).    When  asked  about  this  by  a  reporter,  “a   Diversified  Communications  representative  did  not  return  phone  calls  seeking  comment.”xv    The   remaining  balance  of  9.5  million  dollars  came  from  a  low-­‐interest  loan  obtained  from  the  Rural  Utilities   Service,  a  division  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture.    The  payback  period  is  estimated  to   be  twenty  years  (The  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project  Fact  Sheet).    For  additional  details  of  the  financing,  see   the  Lawrence  Berkeley  National  Laboratory  Report,  “Community  Wind:  Once  Again  Pushing  the   Envelope  of  Project  Finance”  at  http://eetd.lbl.gov/EA/EMP/re-­‐pubs.html.     c. Gathering  Information  and  Building  Support  

3                To  gather  information  and  present  an  outline  of  the  proposed  wind  project  to  Fox  Islands  Electric   Cooperative  members,  a  number  of  studies  were  conducted  with  the  support  of  the  FIEC  and  the  Island   Institute.    These  included  engineering  feasibility  studies  by  an  engineering  company,  environmental   impact  studies,  and  a  sound  analysis.  The  engineering  study  concluded  that  it  was  possible  to   successfully  put  a  wind  energy  facility  on  the  island.    The  environmental  study  found  that  use  of  wind   turbines  on  Vinalhaven  would  result  in  limited  environmental  harm  to  birds,  rare  plants,  and  wetlands.                  The  sound  analysis  was  completed  by  Acentech  Incorporated.      According  to  Acentech,  “No  federal   noise  regulations  are  applicable  to  the  off-­‐site  environmental  sound  associated  with  the  construction,   operation,  or  maintenance  of  the  proposed  project.    The  town  of  Vinalhaven  relies  upon  noise  standards   set  by  the  state  of  Maine  Department  of  Environmental  Conservation.”xvi    Given  the  turbines’  location  in   a  previously  quiet,  protected  area,  Maine’s  noise  regulations  stated  that  the  wind  energy  facility  must   abide  by  the  following:  “Hourly  equivalent  operating  sound  level  limits  of  55dBA  during  daytime  hours   from  7  a.m.  to  7  p.m.  and  45dBA  during  nighttime  hours  from  7  p.m.  to  7  a.m”  (Acentech  Report).         Acentech’s  findings  indicated  that  the  wind  energy  facility  could  adhere  to  Maine’s  noise  standards.     Interestingly  enough,  another  document  on  the  state  of  Maine’s  website  entitled  “Primer  for  Addressing   Wind  Turbine  Noise”  cited  as  a  background  reading  on  noise  issues  seems  to  contradict  these   standards.xvii    This  document  references  ISO  recommendations  for  community  noise  limits,  which  are   significantly  more  stringent  than  Maine’s  standards.    For  rural  areas,  the  ISO  recommendations  ranged   from  a  daytime  limit  of  35  dBA  to  a  nighttime  limit  of  25  dBA.xviii                Acentech’s  report  also  stated  that  “background  ambient  sounds  levels  also  increase  when  local  wind   speeds  increase.”    ‘The  Fox  Islands  Wind  August  31  cover  letter  to  the  state  Department  of   Environmental  Protection  (DEP)  explained  the  FIW’s  interpretation  of  the  Acentech’s  results,  "When  the   turbines  are  generating  higher  sound  levels,  background  noise  will  be  higher  as  well,  masking  the  sound   of  the  turbines.”’xix                In  regards  to  building  support,  the  Island  Institute  was  integral  in  conducting  a  public-­‐education  and   outreach  campaign.    “Baker’s  principal  means  of  building  support  in  the  community  more  broadly  was   through  hosting  town  hall  meetings  on  the  subject  with  both  year-­‐round  and  summer  residents  to   communicate  directly  with  them”  (HBS  case  study).  In  addition,  U.S.  Congresswoman  Chellie  Pingree  and   Speaker  of  the  Maine  House  of  Representatives,  both  island  residents,  were  in  favor  of  the  proposal.         d. Finalizing  the  Project              In  July  of  2008,  the  ratepayers  on  both  of  the  Fox  Islands  voted  382-­‐5  to  authorize  the  FIEC  Board  to   Directors  to  proceed  with  developing  plans  to  erect  as  many  as  three  turbines  on  a  site  located  on  the   interior  of  Vinalhaven.     NOTE:  According  to  Charles  A.  Farrington,  General  Manager  of  the  FIEC,  “the  Coop   has  about  1,400  members  some  are  full  time  and  some  are  part  time  residents.  Property  ownership  is  not  a   requirement  for  membership.  Each  member  has  a  voting  right  and  all  of  the  members  were  given  the   opportunity  to  vote  on  the  wind  project”  (email).    Of  the  total  number  eligible  to  vote,  only  about  28%  

actually  did.              There  were  a  number  of  legal  requirements  to  be  met  before  construction  on  the  wind  project  could   begin.  According  to  Fox  Islands  Wind  website,  “during  the  summer  and  fall  of  2008,  Baker  and  Island   Institute  staff  raised  funds  from  a  variety  of  private  individuals  and  foundations  to  finance  additional   detailed  engineering,  legal  and  environmental  information  required  for  project  permits.  FIW  has  

4     partnered  with  the  Island  Institute  to  raise  pre-­‐development  capital  for  attorney  fees,  interconnection   and  environmental  studies,  to  complete  necessary  local,  state  and  federal  permitting,  and  to  secure   permanent  financing  for  insurance,  operations  and  maintenance”  (Project  Background).                According  to  the  Working  Waterfront  article  by  Conkling,  the  requirements  that  needed  to  be  fulfilled   included  “federal  environmental  review,  approval  from  the  Federal  Energy  Regulatory  Commission,   certification  from  the  Maine  Department  of  Environmental  Protection,  agreements  with  Central  Maine   Power,  and  the  Planning  Board's  consent.”    On  May  13,  2009  the  Vinalhaven  Planning  Board,  which  was   the  final  approval  needed  in  the  local  permitting  process,  unanimously  approved  the  construction   permit  (Conkling).      Furthermore,  the  facility  had  to  meet  Maine’s  Department  of  Environmental   Protection  safety  setback  and  noise  standards.    Though  there  is  no  set  DEP  standard  for  amount  of   Shadow  Flicker  allowed  annually,  the  current  practice  of  Maine’s  DEP  is  to  limit  Shadow  Flicker  to  30   hours  annually.xx            Cianbro  Corp,  the  contractor  in  charge  of  construction,  started  work  in  June  2009;  more  than  200   people  were  present  for  the  groundbreaking  ceremony.    Construction  was  completed  in  early   November;  General  Electric  then  began  its  commissioning  process  for  the  turbines,  generating  the   project’s  first  kilowatts  during  its  testing  (Project  Background).    On  November  17,  2009,  the  ribbon   cutting  ceremony  was  held  to  celebrate  the  on-­‐time  completion  of  the  wind  project.    Attendees   including  Maine  Governor  John  Baldacci,  U.S.  Congresswoman  Chellie  Pingree,  and  Maine  Speaker  of  the   House  Hannah  Pingree.xxi       e. Energy  Use  Now              Currently,  more  than  fifty  percent  of  the  electricity  generated  by  the  turbines  is  being  used  directly   on  the  islands  (Fox  Islands  Wind  Fact  Sheet).  However,  because  wind  is  an  intermittent  and  variable   resource,  supply  and  demand  are  not  always  equal  to  each  other.    Peak  electricity  production  is  in   winter;  peak  demand  is  during  the  summer,  when  the  islands’  population  greatly  increases.    To   accommodate  this,  the  submarine  electric  cable  owned  by  FIEC  is  used  to  transmit  excess  power  to  the   mainland,  primarily  in  winter,  and  obtain  additional  power  from  the  mainland  grid,  primarily  in  summer.     It  has  been  predicted  that  over  the  course  of  a  year,  the  FIEC  will  sell  5000  megawatt  hours  and  buy   back  4000  megawatt  hours;  the  project  was  sized  purposely  to  achieve  this  goal  of  generating   approximately  the  amount  used  on  the  islands  over  the  course  of  a  year  (Renewable  Energy).    In  order   to  sell  the  excess  energy  back  to  the  grid,  FIEC  required  an  exemption  from  Maine’s  deregulation  laws;   Maine  Speaker  of  the  House  Hannah  Pingree  submitted  a  bill,  and  “a  sympathetic  legislature  passed  it   handily”  (Urquhart).      

  IV.  Controversies    

         Since  the  turbines  began  operating  in  late  2009,  there  has  been  a  great  deal  of  controversy   surrounding  the  project.    Noise  level  concerns  have  been  at  the  forefront  of  this  debate.    Though  the   project  was  originally  very  well-­‐received  in  the  community,  and  is  still  widely  popular,  some  of  the  island   residents  are  seeking  to  change  the  turbines  operation  practices  in  order  to  lower  noise  levels.    Even   though  it  is  a  limited  number  of  residents  who  are  directly  affected  by  the  noise,  they  are  members  of  a   small  and  close-­‐knit  community,  and  their  discomfort  is  having  a  significant  impact  on  the  opinions  of   other  members  of  the  community.    In  addition,  it  has  opened  the  door  to  scrutiny  of  this  project,  as  the   issues  raised  by  this  group  have  received  national  attention.    The  result  of  this  increased  scrutiny  has  

5     also  brought  questions  about  the  actual  savings,  and  whether  or  not  they  will  be  realized,  particularly  if   noise  reduction,  which  will  also  reduce  the  amount  of  electricity  generated,  is  required.            There  were  a  number  of  local  newspapers  that  covered  the  Fox  Island  Wind  project  and  the   controversy  surrounding  it.    These  included  the  Bangor  Daily  News,  the  Working  Waterfront  (published   by  the  Island  Institute),  the  Fishermen’s  Voice,  and  the  Portland  Press  Herald.      Each  paper  had   published  both  news  reports  and  editorials  on  the  subject.    The  articles  focused  largely  on  the  project’s   progress,  including  its  start  and  the  completion  of  work  on  the  wind  project,  the  project’s  goal  to  lower   electric  rates,  and  on  the  noise  issues.  There  are  also  a  couple  of  articles  in  the  Bangor  Daily  News   implying  that  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project  is  being  looked  at  closely  by  other  groups  potentially   interested  in  wind  energy.xxii         a. Who  is  in  favor  of  the  project  and  why              Initially,  the  project  had  a  wide  support  base.    “The  majority  of  us  like  them,”  said  Jeannie  Conway,  an   employee  at  the  island’s  ferry  office.xxiii    There  was  extensive  local  support,  and  even  after  the  project   was  up  and  running,  survey  results  taken  in  May  2010  indicated  that  most  residents  were  still  in  favor  of   the  wind  project.    In  this  survey  administered  by  the  FIEC  and  the  FIW,  about  35  percent  of  the  1,447   surveys  were  returned.    Of  these,  97  percent  stated  that  they  had  originally  supported  the  wind  farm.     Also,  since  the  project  has  been  up  and  running,  95  percent  of  responders  had  either  kept  their  original   opinion  or  grew  more  supportive  of  the  wind  project.xxiv    Furthermore,  both  U.S.  Congresswoman  Chellie   Pingree  and  former  Maine  Speaker  of  the  House  Hannah  Pingree  had  offered  their  support  to  the   project,  and  expressed  their  pride  in  the  wind  project  at  the  ribbon  cutting  event  in  2009.    According  to   Hannah  Pingree,  "It's  a  huge  step  toward  the  sustainability  of  our  islands  as  year-­‐round  communities.     This  project  is  only  the  beginning.  I  am  very,  very  proud."xxv    

Community  Feedback

July  2008

May  2010

http://www.foxislandswind.com/surveyresults_072010.html

12

  Figure  1:  From  Suzanne  Pude’s  Presentation  at  the  Manomet  Conference  on  the  Social  Challenge  of   Wind  Energyxxvi  

6                On  the  state  level,  Maine’s  policies  are  usually  supportive  of  renewable  energy  projects  in  general,   and  of  wind  projects  in  particular.xxvii  The  state  of  Maine  is  striving  to  be  a  leader  in  the  emerging  field  of   renewable  energy,  and  has  set  wind  energy  generation  goals.  Maine  enacted  the  Wind  Energy  Act  of   2008  to  encourage  wind  energy  projects.    It  also,  according  to  some,  “gave  developers  a  fast  track  for   putting  up  wind  turbines  on  some  of  the  state’s  treasured  high  ground,  and  was  a  piece  of  legislation   passed  at  the  time  in  the  name  of  jobs,  energy  independence,  and  climate  change.”    This  bill  “cut  off  a   layer  of  appeal  for  those  protesting  state  permits  for  wind  power,  set  ambitious  goals  for  the   development  of  wind  power  that  could  result  in  1,000  to  2,000  turbines  being  constructed  along   hundreds  of  miles  of  Maine’s  landscape,  including  the  highly  prized  mountaintops  where  wind  blows   hard  and  more  consistently,  and  it  opened  every  acre  of  the  state’s  400  municipalities  to  fast-­‐track  wind   development.”xxviii              The  project’s  popularity  largely  stems  from  its  community-­‐oriented  sponsorship  and  goals.    The   primary  goals  of  the  wind  project,  to  lower  and  stabilize  electricity  rates,  are  popular  with  the  Fox  Island   rate-­‐payers.    Since  the  project  has  been  up  and  running,  many  of  the  residents’  electricity  bills  have   decreased.xxix      According  to  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project  December  2010  update  on  their  website,  there   has  been  “more  than  a  27%  reduction  in  the  energy  portion  of  Fox  islands  electric  rates  as  compared  to   the  previous  year.”xxx    Furthermore,  the  islanders  are  directly  using  the  turbines  to  produce  a  significant   portion  of  their  energy  use.    When  they  need  electricity,  or  have  too  much  of  it,  they  can  buy  and  sell  it   at  market  rates,  leaving  their  overall  balance  at  about  zero.    This  is  expected  to  help  protect  the   islanders  from  fluctuations  in  market  prices  (Renewable  Energy).              In  addition,  the  ideal  of  producing  renewable,  clean,  and  sustainable  energy  is  popular  within  the   community.    To  this  point,  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  website  maintains  a  record  of  carbon  dioxide  emissions   that  have  been  avoided  by  using  wind  energy.    The  timing  of  the  project  was  also  a  factor  in  its   environmental  support.    Many  of  the  comments  sent  to  project  managers  by  residents  in  a  survey  about   the  wind  farm  mentioned  the  Gulf  Oil  Spill.xxxi            The  phrase  “Spin,  Baby,  Spin!”  is  popular  among  rate-­‐payers  on  the  islands  (Zeller).  In  addition,  much   of  the  rhetoric  supporting  the  project  highlights  the  role  wind  has  played  in  the  Islands  history.    “A   century  ago,  Maine’s  strong  offshore  winds  lifted  the  sails  of  boats  that  carried  granite,  timber,   livestock,  people,  and  vital  supplies  between  hundreds  of  small  island  communities  and  the  mainland.”   (Project  Background)    From  a  visual  standpoint,  since  the  turbines  located  on  interior  of  Vinalhaven,  and   most  big  houses  on  Vinalhaven  are  on  the  coast,  most  people  have  to  look  out  back  door  to  see  them   according  to  Dr.  Baker.    However,  this  does  not  hold  true  for  residents  on  North  Haven.  (Renewable   Energy)            Last,  Dr.  Baker  has  pointed  out  that  from  organizational  and  regulatory  standpoint,  the  Fox  Islands   were  well-­‐suited  to  putting  in  a  wind  energy  project.    They  were  already  in  charge  of  the  electricity   supply  to  the  islanders,  and  owned  the  submarine  cable.    The  idea  that  the  benefits  and  control  of  the   utility  are  kept  within  the  community  is  key.    According  to  Dr.  Baker,  “It’s  about  community  ownership,   community  control,  and  community  benefit.”xxxii           b. Who  is  against  project  and  why                Despite  the  aforementioned  widespread  support  of  the  project,  local  concerns  and  disenchantment   with  the  wind  farm  became  apparent  shortly  after  the  turbines  began  running.    Though  there  were   visual,  environmental,  medical,  and  community  monetary  risk  concerns,  noise  was,  and  still  is,  the   largest  point  of  contention.  The  noise  produced  by  the  turbines  is  thought  to  bother  between  15  and  20   of  Vinalhaven’s  residents  living  near  the  turbines.    Some  of  the  affected  residents,  who  believe  that  the  

7     turbines’  sound  levels  were  violating  Maine’s  noise  regulations,  have  taken  legal  action  in  an  effort  to   address  their  concerns.    They  formed  a  not-­‐for-­‐profit,  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  Neighbors  (FIWN),  and   started  a  website  to  provide  information  about  this  project  and  other  wind  projects.    Their  efforts  to   publicize  the  issue  have  led  to  articles  about  the  project  by  the  New  York  Times,  the  Boston  Globe,  and   the  Associated  Press.xxxiii              Some  of  the  residents  bothered  by  the  noise  produced  by  the  turbines,  which  consists  of  two  unique   sounds  –  a  whooshing  sound  caused  by  the  movement  of  the  turbines’  blades  and  the  mechanical   sounds  produced  by  the  movement  of  gears  and  other  mechanical  parts  of  the  turbinexxxiv  -­‐  feel  that  the   high  noise  levels  were  an  honest  mistake,  and  are  looking  to  Dr.  Baker  and  the  FIEC  to  lower  sound   levels.    There  are  several  ways  to  potentially  do  this:  decreasing  the  turbines’  energy  production  during   the  night,  changing  how  the  turbines  operate,  or  by  investing  in  noise  buffering  technology.      The  type  of   turbines  used  in  the  project  might  also  be  part  of  the  problem  –  there  are  claims  that  GE  turbines  are   noisier  than  turbines  made  by  other  manufacturers.xxxv    As  a  side  note,  in  January  2011,  President   Obama  visited  the  GE  plant  in  Schenectady,  New  York  and  gave  a  speech  about  the  importance  of  clean   energy  technology  innovation.                Other  residents  bothered  by  the  turbines’  noise  feel  that  FIW  has  misled  them  on  the  noise  issue.   Publicly,  the  FIWN  has  contested  the  results  of  the  sound  analysis  completed  by  Acentech.  “Fox  Islands   Wind  used  an  unusual  and  possibly  misleading  method  to  calculate  what  area  should  be  designated  a   “quiet  zone”  around  its  wind  turbines,  a  state  environmental  official  confirmed.  Jim  Cassida,  director  of   the  Department  of  Environmental  Protection’s  land  resource  regulation  division,  said  when  Fox  Islands   Wind  collected  its  data  it  excluded  periods  when  winds  were  below  3  mph.  This  skews  the  results  by   “taking  out  the  quietest  time,”  he  said.”xxxvi              On  this  issue,  the  FIWN  hints  on  their  website  that  the  FIEC  “shopped  around”  for  sound  results.     According  to  the  Frequently  Asked  Questions  section  of  the  FIWN  website:     “In  September,  2008,  the  Fox  Island  Electric  Coop  hired  Woodard  and  Curran  of  Bangor,  Maine,  to  do  a   study  of  the  proposed  Vinalhaven  wind  farm  site.  In  turn,  Woodard  and  Curran  hired  Resource  Systems   Engineering  (RSE),  Brunswick,  Maine,  to  study  of  the  Vinalhaven  site  and  determine  if  noise  would  be  an   issue.  In  summarizing  their  study,  RSE  predicted  that  noise  could  be  an  issue.  In  fact,  RSE  recommended   that  the  neighbors  be  notified  of  the  possible  noise  issue……FIW  and  FIEC  did  not  follow  the  advice  from   the  RSE  report.  They  chose  not  to  notify  neighbors  of  possible  noise  issue,  but  instead  released  RSE  and   hired  Acentech,  a  sound  engineering  firm  from  Boston,  Ma.      Acentech  told  FIW  that  the  ambient  sound   would  mask  the  sound  of  the  turbines.  Considering  the  noise  wind  farm  neighbors  are  experiencing,  one   can  only  assume  that  Acentech’s  model  is  flawed.”              Many  of  the  residents  bothered  by  the  turbines’  noise  had  originally  supported  the  project  because  it   had  seemed  like  the  right  thing  to  do,  and  they  had  believed  noise  would  be  a  non-­‐issue.  They  claim   they  were  told  the  turbines  weren’t  going  to  be  noisy,  and  now  some  residents  feel  their  suffering  is   being  marginalized  (Zeller).    Furthermore,  FIWN  claims  that  electricity  costs  would  have  been  lowered   anyway  even  without  the  turbines  due  to  decreases  in  market  rates.            Even  some  of  the  residents  in  favor  of  the  turbines  have  expressed  sympathy  for  those  living  near  the   turbines  who  are  bothered  by  the  sound.    There  was  one  comment  on  the  results  of  the  above-­‐ mentioned  FIEC  and  FIW  survey  that  said  that  while  the  resident  was  in  favor  of  the  project,  he  or  she   wished  for  less  of  a  “torpedo”  approach.    A  number  of  the  comments  expressed  a  desire  to  have   received  more  information  beforehand,  and  some  of  the  residents  near  the  turbines  miss  the  quiet  of   the  islands.    According  to  Sally  Wylie,  a  member  of  the  FIWN,  “there  is  also  a  question  as  to  whether   there  is  any  electrical  savings  at  all.    Due  to  the  drop  in  electricity  prices  on  the  mainland,  chances  are   excellent  that  the  islanders  could  be  buying  their  electricity  off  of  the  grid  for  less  than  they  pay  with  the  

8     wind  turbines”  (email). Furthermore,  there  have  been  concerns  over  diminished  property  values  of   houses  near  turbines  (Survey  Comments).    There  are  also  medical  concerns  about  the  effect  of  the  noise   on  health,  and  environmental  concerns  about  the  turbines’  effects  on  wildlife,  especially  bald  eagles   (Urquhart).     Here  is  part  of  one  of  Sally  Wylie’s  emails;  she  lives  near  the  wind  turbines:     “The  Vinalhaven  wind  project  leaves  the  unanswered  question  of  who  is  responsible  for  the  damage   that  has  been  done?    For    instance,  our  retirement  finances  and  plans  have  gone  up  in  smoke  as  we  try   and  figure  out  how  we  can  afford  to  sell  our  home  (if  anyone  will  buy  it)  at  a  20  to  40%  loss,  and  start  all   over  again  in  our  60's.    For  those  of  us  who  trusted  what  we  were  told  and  happened  to  have  properties   near  the  wind  turbine  site,  the  consequences  of  FIW's  irresponsible  decision  to  site  the  wind  turbines   too  close  to  homes  has  been  disastrous.    Unbelievably,  it  seems  FIW  and  some  members  of  the  FIEC   believe  that  it  is  all  right  to  sacrifice  the  lives  of  the  minority  in  order  to  provide  for  the  majority  (in  this   case  with  what  they  believe  to  be  lower  electrical  rates).    We  have  no  idea  how  our  situation  will  all  be   resolved,  but  we  do  know  that  at  this  stage,  FIW  has  not  turned  down  the  turbines  once  without  the   insistence  of  the  DEP.    Their  rhetoric  professes  that  they  are  eager  to  be  "good  neighbors,"  but  their   track  record  tells  a  very  different  story.”        

V.

Noise  Debate  

           There  are  two  main  reasons  that  this  project  has  raised  a  great  deal  of  debate  about  the  extent  of   actual  noise  impacts  on  the  Vinalhaven  residents.  First,  there  are  no  international  standards  detailing   acceptable  noise  levels  for  wind  turbines,  in  large  part  due  to  the  novelty  of  such  projects.    Each  country   or  state  has  set  its  own  standards  for  noise  levels.    According  to  the  FIWN,  Maine’s  noise  standards  have   been  in  place  since  the  1970s,  long  before  wind  turbines  were  running  in  the  state.    Furthermore,  even   with  standards  in  place,  the  wind  turbines’  sounds  affects  people  differently  –  whether  or  not  the  noise   bothers  someone  is  largely  subjective.  This  can  be  due  to  personal  preferences,  or  to  location.     According  to  Primer  for  Addressing  Wind  Turbines  Noise,  found  on  the  Maine  government’s  website,   “the  amounts  of  annoyance  that  wind  turbine  noise  is  likely  to  cause  can  be  related  to  other  ambient   noises.”    In  the  case  of  Vinalhaven,  the  turbines  are  located  in  an  area  that  had  been  relatively  quiet.     The  Primer  also  noted  that  the  World  Health  Organization  recommends  that  ambient  noise  levels  be   below  35  dB  for  optimum  sleeping  conditions.”    This  recommendation  is  important  because  results  of  a   Dutch  study  on  wind  turbines  noise  have  found  that  noise  from  a  wind  energy  facility  becomes  more   noticeable  at  night.    Furthermore,  “intermittent  peaks  of  45dB  occurring  more  than  40  times  per   night…will  disturb  most  people’s  sleep”  (Alberts).  Last,  in  an  email,  Sally  Wylie  stated  that  “the  relatively   small  size  of  the  wind  farm  site  made  it  so  the  turbines  had  to  be  installed  in  a  triangular  figuration   which  makes  the  turbines  downwind  of  each  other  and  increases  the  noise.”            Second,  in  the  case  of  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project,  there  has  been  debate  about  the  accuracy  of  one   of  the  sound  studies  and  some  of  the  measurements  taken  to  record  noise  levels.    In  regard  to  the   former,  the  fairness  of  the  one  of  the  sound  experiments  run  by  the  FIW  has  been  debated.  The  purpose   of  the  sound  experiment  was  to  obtain  subjective  responses  from  residents  living  near  the  wind  energy   facility  to  the  turbines’  noises.  The  FIWN  reports  that  only  two  of  the  wind  turbines  were  actually   running  for  most  of  the  time  period  of  the  study,  and  not  everyone  had  received  data  colleting  sheets  by   the  purported  start  date  of  the  study  (FIWN).      

9                The  accuracy  of  the  various  noise  measurements  taken  near  the  wind  turbines  has  also  been   contested.    Each  side  is  claiming  their  results  are  accurate,  and  that  the  other  sides’  results  are  wrong.  In   the  case  of  the  FIWN,  some  of  the  neighbors  living  near  the  turbines  have  been  taking  their  own  noise   measurements.    According  to  the  Boston  Globe,  Lindgren,  one  of  the  neighbors  living  near  the  turbines,   has  measured  sound  levels  using  his  own  equipment  on  a  biweekly  basis,  and  claims  he  has  recorded   sound  measurements  up  to  49  dBA.xxxvii    However,  the  FIW  has  continued  to  publicly  state  that  the   turbines  are  operating  in  compliance  with  Maine’s  standards.  “It’s  very  frustrating,’’  said  Baker,  a   Harvard  Business  School  professor.  “We  are  absolutely  in  compliance.’’  Also,  according  to  Charles   Farrington  who  is  FIEC’s  general  manager,  “The  project  is  working  out  great.    We’ve  had  measuring   equipment  up  there  since  the  beginning”  (MacQuarrie).            Maine’s  Department  of  Environmental  Protection  (DEP)  also  conducted  sound  studies  in  response  to   complaints  that  the  FIW  was  violating  noise  state  noise  standards.    “A  report  filed  by  Warren  Brown  of   Enrad,  a  consultant  hired  by  Maine’s  DEP  to  conduct  sound  studies,  states  that  the  nighttime  sound   levels  were  as  high  as  48  decibels  for  seven-­‐  to  ten-­‐minute  intervals  at  an  abutting  property  and  that  the   intervals  of  higher  sound  were  repeated.  Brown  further  noted  that  the  wind  speed  measurements  taken   by  the  consultant  for  Fox  Island  Wind  in  2008  did  not  supply  adequate  data  to  determine  an  accurate   wind  speed  correlated  to  sound  levels.  This  data  was  taken  from  an  instrument  placed  higher  in   elevation  than  the  Maine  Department  of  Environmental  Protection  requires  and  was  recorded  in  an  area   obstructed  by  a  building  and  a  tree,  according  to  Brown's  report  to  the  Maine  DEP.”xxxviii              In  response  to  the  Brown’s  report,  “Baker  said  the  FIW  consultant  corrected  the  data  for  ambient   noise  in  the  trees,  whereas  he  said  it  was  likely  that  the  data  used  by  the  Maine  DEP  was  not  corrected   for  ambient  noise.  Correcting  data  for  interfering  variables,  like  ambient  noise,  is  a  standard  analytical   approach  in  working  with  scientific  data,  but  it  is  not  the  only  accepted  approach”  (Parrish).                In  summary,  there  are  no  clear  and  accepted  standards  when  it  comes  to  measuring  noise  levels  and   determining  what  is  acceptable.    In  addition,  what  is  disturbing  when  it  comes  to  noise  is  highly   subjective  and  highly  dependent  on  the  level  and  type  of  noise  people  are  accustomed  to  hearing.    What   is  acceptable  to  those  in  an  urban  environment  is  not  likely  to  be  acceptable  to  people  in  a  rural   environment.          

   

VI.

What  is  being  done  now        

         As  referenced  above,  a  number  of  residents  bothered  by  the  turbines’  noise  documented  sound   levels  to  find  out  if  the  facility  was  violating  the  above-­‐mentioned  state  noise  standards.    According  to   the  FIWN,  sound  levels  did  violate  Maine’s  noise  standards.    In  July  2010,  some  of  the  islanders  living   near  the  turbines  filed  a  noise  complaint.  After  reviewing  the  case,  Maine’s  Department  of   Environmental  Protection  agreed  with  the  FIWN  and  found  that  the  turbines  had  exceeded  noise   standards.    In  November  of  2010,  the  “Maine  Department  of  Environmental  Protection  requested  that   Fox  Islands  Wind,  LLC  submit  a  revised  protocol  for  the  operation  of  its  community-­‐owned  wind  project   on  Vinalhaven…..The  immediate  step  in  this  process  is  for  FIW  to  submit  a  revised  protocol  for  the  DEP’s   review  and  approval  by  January  23,  2011.”xxxix  In  a  press  release,  Cheryl  Lindgren,  one  of  the  affected   neighbors  who  led  the  formation  of  Fox  Islands  Wind  Neighbors  said  the  department’s  move  was   welcome,  if  a  long  time  in  the  making.”xl     In  response  to  Maine’s  Department  of  Environmental  Protection  decision,  Fox  Islands  Wind  stated:  

10     “The  Coop  and  FIW  disagree  with  the  method  used  by  the  DEP’s  sound  consultant  in  this  analysis  but   welcome  the  Department’s  effort  to  finally  resolve  this  issue  for  everyone  involved.    We  want  to  be   good  neighbors,  successfully  address  the  concerns  during  these  conditions,  and  bring  this  matter  to  a   conclusion.    In  accordance  with  its  request,  a  draft  of  the  revised  protocol  was  submitted  to  the  DEP  on   December  3.”xli                Fox  Islands  Wind  has  promised  to  continue  working  with  residents  to  mitigate  noise  issues.    Early  in   2010,  one  of  the  turbines  was  operating  at  reduced  capacity  to  meet  sound  regulations  (Cartwright).     According  to  Dr.  Baker,  the  turbines  are  currently  operating  under  Reduced  Noise  Operations  from  7   p.m.  to  7  a.m.    In  spite  of  this,  Dr.  Baker  has  stated  that  the  turbines’  capacity  factor  is  above   projections.    

Power  Production

9

  Figure  2:  From  Suzanne  Pude’s  Presentation  at  the  Manomet  Conference              Also,  as  referenced  above,  Fox  Islands  Wind  has  conducted  a  couple  of  surveys  to  understand  the   subjective  noise  responses  of  residents  living  within  one  mile  of  the  turbines.xlii    However,  the  FIW  and   Dr.  Baker  have  stated  that  if  wind  energy  production  decreases  in  order  to  lower  noise  levels,  then  other   rate-­‐payers  on  the  islands  may  lose  savings  on  their  electricity  bills  (Zeller).  "We  will  absolutely  comply   with  state  laws,"  said  Baker.  "If  it  comes  to  needing  to  turn  the  turbines  down,  we  will  do  that.  I  hope   that  doesn't  happen.  It  will  cost  electric  rate  payers  a  lot  of  money  if  we  do."  (Parrish)            In  addition  to  local  changes,  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project  has  caused  others  to  reevaluate  their   approach  to  wind  energy,  the  siting  of  wind  energy  facilities,  and  current  noise  standards.    “Some  towns   in  Maine  are  enacting  ordinances  requiring  a  mile  between  turbines  and  homes.”xliii  There  was  also  a  bill   proposed  in  the  Maine  Legislature  to  “amend  current  noise  standards  to  include  low  frequency  sounds,”   but  it  is  unclear  what  the  status  of  this  bill  is  (Turkel).    Hannah  Pingree,  who  is  no  longer  in  the  Maine  

11     State  Legislature  due  to  term  limits,  has  publicly  stated  that  Maine’s  current  noise  level  standards  are   inadequate.xliv    Futhermore,  Pinagree  said  that  “Wind  power  was  exciting.  I  think  legislators  had  a  sense   we  wanted  to  be  bold  and  have  the  state  be  a  real  leader  in  this  area  —  they  may  not  have  known  how   many  turbines  or  the  challenges  of  siting  that  many  turbines”  (Schalit).            The  Harvard  Business  School  case  study  listed  some  key  considerations  made  by  Dr.  Baker  in  regards   to  future  wind  energy  generation  projects.    These  included:     a. b. c. d.

“With  concerns  around  noise  pollution,  the  site  radius  would  likely  need  to  be  increased  substantially  in   future  projects.      Property  devaluation  was  another  real  concern.”   The  large  turbines  are  in  high  demand,  and  there  are  long  waiting  lists  for  them.    Would  it  be  better  to  use   a  few  large  turbines  and  wait  for  them,  or  should  a  greater  number  of  smaller  turbines  be  used  instead?   Could  wind  energy  succeed  in  another  island  community  where  residents  have  to  first  be  persuaded  that   wind  energy  is  a  good  idea?   What  public  policy  conditions  and  energy  costs  are  necessary  to  make  wind  energy  projects  economically   feasible?  

    What  FIWN  has  said  they  expect  in  2011:     “Cooperation.  We  hope  that  in  2011,  DEP  will  levy  sanctions  on  Fox  Island  Wind:  turn  the  turbines  off   at  night  or  down  so  that  the  45dBA  level  is  never  exceeded.  With  the  continued  leverage  of  DEP   findings,  it  is  possible  that  FIW  will  finally  cooperate  with  neighbors  and  cease  expensive  plans  that   have  no  result  other  than  deny  the  facts  and  to  delay  compliance.  We  hope  for  transparency:  free   access  to  real  time  noise  level  and  meteorological  data  from  the  wind  turbines,  and  for  access  to   complete  information  from  FIEC  and  FIW  as  to  the  financial  arrangements  of  the  turbines.  A  year   from  now,  we  hope  the  Maine  legislature  and  Governor’s  Office  will  be  more  educated  about  the   plight  of  Vinalhaven  neighbors  who,  through  no  fault  of  our  own,  have  been  saddled  with  the   enormous  financial  and  physical  cost  of  proving  non-­‐compliance.  Perhaps  the  new  year  will  bring  a   weekly  report  showing  that  Fox  Islands  Wind  has  been  fully  in  compliance  over  the  past  week,  saving   us  the  cost  and  effort  to  monitor  turbine  noise  ourselves.  Finally,  we  hope  that  the  board  of  directors   of  FIEC  will  form  independent  judgments  about  the  facts  and  finally  talk  honestly  with  us.”  (FIWN   website)    

  VII.

Food  for  Thought  

    a. What  should  outsiders  learn  from  this  case?              If  the  United  States  as  a  whole,  and  individual  states  separately,  are  planning  to  invest  in  renewable   energy  projects  for  environmental,  cost,  and  energy  independence  reasons,  then  standards  and   regulation  needs  to  be  in  place  prior  to  construction  of  these  facilities.    If  something  goes  wrong  with  a   wind  energy  project,  then  it  makes  wind  energy  as  a  whole  unpopular.            According  to  Ms.  Sally  Wylie,  members  of  the  FIWN  have  “learned  that  across  the  US  setbacks  and   noise  regulations  for  wind  turbines  are  completely  inadequate.    Individuals  have  lost  their  life's  savings   as  their  property  values  have  plummeted.  Some  families  have  been  forced  to  abandon  their  homes.    On   Vinalhaven,  several  homeowners  were  bought  out  because  the  turbines  were  so  close  to  their  

12     properties  that  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  live  there.    If  we  knew  what  we  know  now,  we  would   have  fought  the  FIW  project  and  made  sure  that  it  was  not  built  on  a  site  that  is  too  close  to  homes.”       b. What  was  handled  well?              Dr.  George  Baker  and  the  Island  Institute  were  very  effective  in  obtaining  the  public,  financial,  and   political  support  needed  to  get  the  project  up  and  running  in  a  short  period  of  time.    According  to  the   HBS  case  study,  Dr.  Baker  was  “anxious  to  proceed  quickly  lest  public  support  wane.”    In  fact,  Dr.  Baker   and  EOS  Ventures,  a  firm  dealing  in  construction  services  for  renewable  energy  projects,  was  also  able  to   persuade  GE  to  deliver  the  wind  turbines  “far  sooner  than  the  waiting  list  suggested”  (HBS  case  study).                Dr.  Baker  was  also  successful  in  deflecting  negative  press  prior  to  completion  of  the  project.    “Before   the  [Coop  members]  vote  [on  the  wind  project],  Baker  had  avoided  making  announcements  about  the   project  off  the  islands.    “There  are  a  bunch  of  anti-­‐wind  people  in  Maine,  and  we  didn’t  want  to  fire   them  up,”  Baker  said’  (HBS  case  study).     c. What  was  not  handled  so  well?     1. There  is  a  great  deal  of  information  about  noise  problems  from  wind  turbines  available,  but  in   the  project’s  planning  stages,  this  issue  does  not  seemed  to  have  received  a  great  deal  of   thorough  attention.    The  HBS  case  study  notes  that  very  few  of  the  islanders  expressed  noise   concerns  prior  to  completion  of  the  project.   2. Some  of  the  residents  feel  that  the  FIW  and  the  FIEC  marginalized  their  noise  concerns.  

  d. Questions  raised  by  this  project.     1. What  can  and  should  be  done  ahead  of  construction  to  address  noise  issues?   2. What  is  an  adequate  buffer  zone  between  residents  and  turbines?   3. How  should  noise  be  monitored  post-­‐construction,  and  are  there  contingent  agreements  that   can  be  negotiated  ahead  of  construction,  for  mitigation  actions?   4. Is  there  any  successful  strategy  for  compensating  people  affected  by  the  noise?   5. Assuming  there  is  a  measurable  financial  cost  to  minimizing  or  eliminating  “collateral  damage,”   should  this  cost  be  built  into  initial  projections?                                                                                                                                 i

 Vinalhaven  Wind  Project.  Natural  Resources  Counsel  of  Maine.  http://www.nrcm.org/Vinalhaven_wind.asp      Conkling,  Micah.  Construction  to  Start  on  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project.  The  Working  Waterfront.  Published  by  the   Island  Institute.  June  3,  2009.  http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Construction-­‐to-­‐start-­‐on-­‐Fox-­‐Islands-­‐ wind-­‐project/13163/     iii  The  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project:  Leading  the  Way  on  U.S.  Coastal  Wind  Power.  Fox  Island  Wind  Project  Fact  Sheet.   http://www.foxislandswind.com/pdf/FIWFactSheet111609.pdf   iv  Lassiter  III,  et  al.  The  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project.  Harvard  Business  School.  Rev:  September  8,  2010.   v  Table  DP-­‐1.  Profile  of  General  Demographic  Characteristics:  2000.    Geographic  Area:  Vinalhaven  town,  Knox   County,  Maine.  U.S.  Bureau  of  the  Census,  Census  2000.  http://censtats.census.gov/data/ME/0602301379130.pdf   vi  Table  DP-­‐1.  Profile  of  General  Demographic  Characteristics:  2000.    Geographic  Area:  North  Haven  town,  Knox   County,  Maine.  U.S.  Bureau  of  the  Census,  Census  2000.  http://censtats.census.gov/data/ME/0602301351620.pdf   vii Gallant,  Frank  K.    A  Good  Job  for  Vinalhaven.  Fox  Islands  Electric.  Rural  Electrification  Magazine  October  1983.     http://www.foxislands.net/aboutfie.htm   ii

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F.A.Q.  –Frequently  Asked  Questions.  How  Expensive  is  Electricity  on  the  Fox  Islands  and  How  Does  that  Compare   with  the  National  Average?  Fox  Islands  Electric.  http://www.foxislands.net/windpower/faq.htm   ix  Urquhart,  Thomas.  Mighty  Wind  on  Vinalhaven.  DownEast.com.  December  2009.   http://www.downeast.com/magazine/2009/december/mighty-­‐wind-­‐vinalhaven   x  Project  Background.  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project.  http://www.foxislandswind.com/background.html   xi  What’s  New.  Island  Institute.  Home.  http://www.islandinstitute.org/   xii  Biography.  George  P.  Baker.  Senior  Lecturer  of  Business  Administration.  Harvard  Business  School  ;Faculty  and   Research.  http://drfd.hbs.edu/fit/public/facultyInfo.do?facInfo=bio&facEmId=gbaker     xiii  Renewable  Energy:  Community  Wind  –  Lessons  &  Opportunities  –  Sustainable  Islands  Living  Conference  2009.     Presenters:  George  Baker,  vice-­‐president  of  Maine  Community  Wind,  Island  Institute;  Suzanne  Pude,  director  of   Maine  Community  Wind,  Island  Institute.  Island  Institute.  Multimedia.   http://www.islandinstitute.org/audio/Renewable-­‐Energy-­‐Community-­‐Wind-­‐%93-­‐Lessons-­‐and-­‐ Opportunities/13798/   xiv  Leadership.  Diversified  Communications.  http://www.divcom.com/leadership.htm     xv Goldfine,  Rebecca.  Power  Play:  Inventive  financing  and  an  ambitious  scope  make  the  Fox  Islands  wind  project  a   model  for  other  communities.  Mainebiz  Online.  September  6,  2010.  http://www.mainebiz.biz/news46823.html   xvi  Barnes,  James  D.  and  Wood,  Eric  W.  Fox  Islands  Wind  Power  Project  Vinalhaven  Island,  Maine.  Acentech  Report   No.  0393.  May  2009.  Submitted  by  Acentech  Incorporated.   http://www.maine.gov/dep/ftp/Rufus%20Brown%20Exhibits/Exhibit%2030.pdf   xvii  Briefing  Materials.  Governor’s  task  Force  on  Wind  Power.  State  of  Maine.  Maine.gov.   http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/windpower/briefing_material.shtml     xviii  Alberts,  Daniel  J.  Primer  for  Addressing  Wind  Turbine  Noise.  Revised  October  2006.  Lawrence  Technological   University.  http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/windpower/pubs/pdf/AddressingWindTurbineNoise.pdf   xix  Wylie,  Sally.  Opinion:  Hard  Lessons  from  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project.  The  Working  Waterfront.  December  8,   2009.  http://www.workingwaterfront.com/online-­‐exclusives/Opinion/13571/     xx  Draft:  Guidebook  for  the  Maine  Model  Wind  Energy  Facility  Ordinance.  Maine  State  Planning  Office.  February  5,   2010.    http://www.maine.gov/spo/landuse/docs/draft_windenergyfacilityorgguidebook_feb2010.pdf   xxi  Simmons,  Mathew  R.  Fox  Islands  Wind  LLC.  America’s  First  Offshore  Wind  Project.  November  17,  2009.   Vinalhaven,  ME.  http://www.oceanenergy.org/matthew_simmons_papers/2009/Fox%20Island.pdf   xxii  Search  Results.  Bangor  Daily  News.  January  24,  2010.   http://www.bangordailynews.com/browse.html?search_filter=fox+islands+wind     xxiii  Zeller  Jr.,  Tom.  For  Those  Near,  the  Miserable  Hum  of  Clean  Energy.  The  New  York  Times.  Global  Edition.  Energy   &  Environment.  October  5,  2010.  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/business/energy-­‐ environment/06noise.html   xxiv  May  2010  Member  Survey  Results.  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project.     http://www.foxislandswind.com/surveyresults_072010.html   xxv  Waterman,  Melissa.  Vinalhaven  Celebrates  Fox  islands  wind  Turbines.  November  19,  2009.  The  Free  Press.   http://www.freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=52&SubSectionID=78&ArticleID=3980   xxvi  Pude,  Suzanne.  Fox  Islands  Wind:  A  Community  Case  Study.  Social  Challenge  of  Wind  Energy.  November  9,   2010.  Manomet  Conference  on  the  Social  Challenges  of  Wind  Energy.  Slide  Show.   http://www.manomet.org/sites/manomet.org/files/Pude.pdf     xxvii  Maine  Revised  Statute  Title  35-­‐A.  Chapter  34:  The  Maine  Wind  Energy  Act.   http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/35-­‐a/title35-­‐Ach34.pdf   xxviii  Schalit,  Naomi.  Some  who  Created  Wind  Power  Fast  Track  Now  Questioning  the  Goals  they  Set.  Bangor  Daily   News.  August  9,  2010.  http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/150961.html   xxix  Update  on  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project.  October  7,  2010.   http://www.foxislandswind.com/pdf/October2010FIECWindPowerUpdate.pdf     xxx  Update  on  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project.  December  7,  2010.   http://www.foxislandswind.com/pdf/December2010FIECWindPowerUpdate.pdf    

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 Fox  Islands  Electric  Cooperative  May  2010  Member  Survey.  Comments  in  Response  to  Question  #13.  Any  other   comments  or  any  thoughts  you  would  like  to  share  on  the  Project  in  general  and/or  sound  issues?   http://www.foxislandswind.com/pdf/2010FIECSurvey_Comments.pdf     xxxii  Du  Houx,  Ramona.  Fox  Islands  Cooperative  –  a  Model  for  Community  Wind.  Maine  Insights.  January  3,  2010.   http://maineinsights.com/perma/fox-­‐islands-­‐electric-­‐cooperative-­‐%E2%80%94-­‐a-­‐model-­‐for-­‐community-­‐wind   xxxiii  State  of  Maine  to  Wind  Turbine  Farm  on  Vinalhaven:  Turn  Down  the  Noise  -­‐  Neighbors  of  Wind  Turbine  Farm   Stand  Their  Ground.  November  29,  2010.  http://www.fiwn.org/vhnews/dep_finds_violation.html   xxxiv  Technology  Fact  Sheet-­‐  Sound  and  Wind  Energy.  New  York  Power  Authority.  August  2010.   http://www.nypa.gov/NYPAwindpower/ProjectTechnologySheets/NYPA_GLOW_TechFacts_SoundAug2010FINAL.p df   xxxv  Frequently  Asked  Questions.  Why  are  the  wind  turbines  on  Samso,  Denmark  so  much  quieter  than  on   Vinalhaven?  Fox  Islands  Wind  Neighbors.    http://www.fiwn.org/   xxxvi  Cartwright,  Steve.  DEP  Questions  Fox  Island  Wind’s  Noise  Study.  Fishermen’s  Voice.  March  2010.  Volume  15,   No.  3.  http://www.fishermensvoice.com/0310depQuestionsFoxIsland.html   xxxvii  MacQuarrie,  Brian.  Maine  Wind  Farm  Not  Soothing  to  All  Ears.  The  Boston  Globe.  August  30,  2010.   http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/08/30/maine_wind_farm_not_soothing_to_all_ears/   xxxviii  Parrish,  Christine.  Fox  Islands  Wind  Turbines  Exceed  Legal  Sound  Levels,  Says  DEP.  The  Free  Press.  September   16,  2010.  http://freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=52&SubSectionID=78&ArticleID=8903     xxxix  News  Release.  Fox  Islands  Electric  Cooperative  Responds  to  Maine  Department  of  Environmental  Protection.   November  24,  2010.  http://www.foxislandswind.com/pdf/2010FIECNewsRelease11-­‐24-­‐10Final.pdf     xl  Zeller  Jr.,  Tom.  Maine  Officials  Say  Turbines  are  Too  Loud.  The  New  York  Times.  Environment.  Green:  A  Blog   about  Energy  and  the  Environment.  December  1,  2010.  http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/maine-­‐ officials-­‐say-­‐turbines-­‐are-­‐too-­‐loud/?emc=eta1       xli  Update  on  the  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project.  December  7,  2010.   http://www.foxislandswind.com/pdf/December2010FIECWindPowerUpdate.pdf     xlii  Recent  News.  Fox  Islands  Wind  Project.  http://www.foxislandswind.com/   xliii  Turkel,  Tux.  Turbines  Turn  into  Headache  for  Vinalhaven.  Portland  Press  Herald.  Maine  Sunday  Telegram.   January  24,  2010.  http://www.fiwn.org/resources/Turkel%20Article%20in%20Press%20herald%20-­‐%2001-­‐24-­‐ 2010.pdf   xliv  Proposed  Spruce  Mountain  Wind  Project.  Friends  of  Spruce  Mountain.  http://friendsofsprucemountain.com/