Gary Dawbin of Winthrop, ME Martha - "NIMBY" is a term coined for anti-nuclear activists decades ago ad means "Not In My Back Yard" - in other words, whatever you are building build it somewhere else, don't build it where I live. It is not name-calling, as such, is is merely a term to describe people's attitudes toward development. As for the "trolls paid to extol the virtues of wind power when they know it is a scam", I am certainly no troll, paid by no one as I am retired, and wind power is no scam. As I said in my previous post, you really should look up and research how much we pay to subsidize nuclear power and fossil fuels. All the recent hue and cry about excessive windfall profits and the tax breaks given to the oil and gas industries should give you a clue, but they are just a drop in the bucket. The tax breaks and credits given for renewable energy pale in comparison to those given for nuclear power and fossils fuels, and those industries claim they cannot survive without them, but, again, just look at the profits they are making!! You are already paying the price, on top of what they are charging at the pump and on your utility bills. Tax breaks and credits for renewable energy, like wind power, just level the playing field, and are intended to provide a healthy environment and to reduce our dependence on costly foreign oil. BTW - for your edification, I worked on power generation as an engineer for CMP for ten years and as a state energy policy planner after that, so I do have a little background and knowledge to support what I say.report abuse

martha thacker I do not know what a NIMBY is ...but have noticed that when there is no argument ...name calling is the only thing left to do for the closed minded . It is not an effective means to debate issues.report abuse

martha thacker Evergreen/UPC now Firstwind promised Mars Hill residents lowered taxes and no noise from their wind farm. The taxes were lowered slightly for 1 year! 18 families living near the wind farm are awakened at night from the noise which still hasn't met state noise level law. Residents in Prattsburgh,NY want a grand jury investigation for bribery of public officials , false claims and fraud. There should be a grand jury investigation into ME state govt. for pushing wind farms, when we are self sufficient for electricity. 1 billion dollars worth of transmission lines will be passed on to the consumer so a few people can make a killing off of alternative energy. This is criminal.I am sick of trolls paid to extol the virtues of wind energy when they know it is a scam.report abuse

Gary Dawbin of Winthrop, ME Roberta - Maybe Mainejeff calls you a NIMBY because that is what you are. On what grounds do you call wind power "the biggest scam in recent US history"? Wind power is intended to displace fossil fuel-generated electricity when the wind is blowing, just as hydro power provides electrical generation when water flow is available at a hydroelectric dam. As such, it's value is the cost of whatever fossil fuel generation would have to be fired up if the wind were not blowing. At current oil prices of $130/barrel, that value would be something over 20 cents/KWH, in addition to its value in reducing carbon emissions that contribute to global warming (unless you are one of those who believe that "global warming is the greatest myth ever perpetrated upon the human race"). The point is that we need to reduce use of fossil fuels, and conservation alone cannot and will not reduce electric consumption enough solve the problem. We desperately need a combination of conservation and renewable non-polluting energy sources to meet our needs and sustain our economy. Conservation is one part of the solution, but wind powered electrical generation is another. I would much rather see wind turbines on our mountain ridges than ski lift towers, vacation condos, the ugly scars of ski trails, and the bright lights used for night skiing. People who oppose wind turbines on the basis of their visual impact need to get their facts and priorities straight and take a look at how our mountains in Maine are really used. And in terms of US citizens paying, you need to research how much we really pay to subsidize fossil and nuclear power generation.report abuse