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PROPOSED STETSON II WIND PROJECT T8
R4
Development Permit DP 4818
Last Updated: February 2, 2009
The
Land Use Regulation Commission received an application for a Development Permit
submitted by Stetson Wind II, LLC for a 17 turbine 25.5 megawatt wind energy
development to be located in T8 R4 NBPP,
The documents on this site are available for downloading in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF file format. Many of these documents are also available by postal mail upon request and payment of the copying fee by contacting LURC's main office in Augusta (call 207-287-2631 or e-mail LURC@maine.gov).
The Commission's Criteria for Approval
The criteria for approval and other documents relevant to the permit review process are listed in the table below.
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Document Title and
Description |
Links |
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12 M.R.S.A., sections
685-B(4), (4-B), and (2-C) - The Commission's enabling statute, including
review criteria for approval of wind energy development |
12 M.R.S.A (HTML) |
|
Chapter 661, L.D. 2283: “An Act To Implement Recommendations
of the Governor's Task Force on Wind Power Development” |
http://janus.state.me.us/legis/ros/lom/LOM123rd/123S1/PUBLIC661.asp
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Commission's Land
Use Districts and Standards (Chapter 10) |
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Comprehensive Land Use Plan
(HTML) |
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Commission's Rules of
Practice and Rules for the Conduct of Public Hearings - Detailed description
of the Commission's rules of practice (Chapter 4), including rules for permit
applications, when to hold a public hearing, and procedures for issuing a
permit decision; and the Commission's rules for the conduct of a public
hearing (Chapter 5), including petitioning for intervention, participation by
interested persons, and rules for testimony and questions. |
Ch 4: Rules of Practice (PDF) |
The Commission's Review Process for Expedited Wind Energy Development
In accordance with 12 M.R.S.A., section 685-B(2-C), the review process for wind energy development in an area of LURC jurisdiction designated for expedited permitting is to be completed within 185 days of accepting an application as complete for processing if no public hearing is held, and 270 days if a public hearing is held. The major steps of the Commission's review process are as follows:
· Receipt and designation of permit application as complete for processing. After LURC staff reviewed the initially submitted application and any deficiencies identified were corrected, the application was accepted as complete for processing. The applicant published a Notice of Filing in newspapers prior to November 4, 2008, and mailed the notice to abutting landowners prior to November 25, 2008.
· Review of application by Commission staff. The LURC staff will conduct a detailed review and analysis of the application. This process may include communication and meeting with the applicant, and state, federal, and local review agencies to clarify issues and request more information, if needed.
· Review of application by reviewing agencies. In addition to LURC staff review, the application is being distributed to various state, federal, and local agencies for review and comment.
· Applicant response to agency review comments. All agency review comments will be supplied to the applicant, who will submit a written response with changes to the proposal, if any are needed.
· Public hearings. A public hearing is not required for the review of an expedited wind energy development, but the Notice of Filing distributed by the applicant instructed that anyone wishing to request a public hearing must do so with in two weeks of the application being designated as complete for processing [reference Chapter 4, section 4.04 (Rules of Practice)]. The public hearing process includes first a decision by the Commission as to whether a hearing will be held. If a hearing is granted, then notice of the hearing is posted in newspapers and to interested parties, any petitions to intervene are decided on, a pre-hearing conference may be held, and the public hearing is held to gather official public testimony regarding the proposal.
· Commission decision.
o If no public hearing is held, a staff recommendation on the proposal is prepared, and presented to the Commission for decision at a regular business meeting. If approved, the permit is issued based on the staff recommendation.
o If a public hearing is held, the hearing record remains open after the hearing for at least 10 days to allow persons to submit written comments, and for at least an additional 7 days for filing rebuttal comments. After that time, the public hearing record may be re-opened by the Commission, as necessary. Once the hearing record is closed, the Commission makes a decision on the proposal.
The Commission provides opportunity for public scrutiny of wind energy development proposals during the course of its review. A comment period has been established as part of the Commission's review process. The application for the Stetson II Wind Project was accepted as complete for processing on November 25, 2008. At this time, January 19, 2008 has been designated as the end of the comment period. The comment period may be extended if significant revisions to the proposal are made, or if a public hearing is granted.
The permit application and
information, including additional submittals, deadlines, events, and dates of
related decisions can be accessed using links in the updates and events table below, which will be updated as
needed.
The application is also
available for viewing by appointment at LURC’s main office in
Augusta (call 207-287-4933 or e-mail Marcia.spencer-famous@maine.gov),
LURC’s regional offices in East Millinocket (207-746-2244)
and Bangor (207- 941-4052),
and the Washington County Commissioner’s office in Machias
(contact Linda Pagels Wentworth, 207-255-3127).
If you would like to be added to our list of interested parties for this project, please provide your name, postal or e-mail address, and daytime phone number by phone (207-287-4933) or email to Marcia.spencer-famous@maine.gov
Project Updates and Upcoming Events
This table lists, in chronological order, project updates and upcoming events related to the review of this proposal. The table also provides a link to the application, and to any additional materials submitted by the applicant as they become available. All documents in the file, including materials not posted on this web site, are available for public inspection at the LURC Augusta office (see Public Participation, above) by appointment.
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Date(s) |
Updates and Event |
Links |
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11/4/2008 |
Initial application submitted
for completeness review LURC’s wind energy facility
permit checklist |
|
|
Application for
Development Permit DP 4818, submitted by Stetson Wind II, LLC, accepted as
complete for processing |
Application and Exhibit 1 (36 MB
PDF) Narrative (.5 MB PDF) LURC Submittal Letter (.25 MB PDF) |
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12/9/2008 |
Deadline for requesting a public hearing |
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12/5/2008 to 1/19/2009 |
Outside agency and public review and comment period |
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1/20/2009
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Applicant's response to agency review comments (Part I)
|
Applicant's response (.54 MB PDF) |
1/21/2009
|
Commission decision to not hold a public hearing, and staff recommendations |
Commission memo (.54 MB PDF) |