Development projects in Maine are subjected to an ever growing list of studies – from traffic impacts to vernal pool impacts.

Will impacts on climate be next?

Plum Creek Timber Co.’s plan for the Moosehead Lake region appears to be the first project in Maine – and maybe in the United States – to undergo a detailed study of its potential impact on global warming.

Environment Northeast, a non-profit advocacy group, has calculated the potential carbon footprint of Plum Creek’s historic plan for 975 homes and two resorts. And, you know what they say – big feet, big carbon footprint.

“Initial land clearing alone would release some 222,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or about one-third the annual emissions of the Wyman power plant in Yarmouth, Maine,” Dan Sosland, executive director of Environment Northeast, said in the press release.

The analysis was part of written testimony filed with the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission on behalf of GrowSmart Maine, an official intervenor in the Plum Creek review process. Environment Northeast issued a summary and a link to its report this morning.

The report includes estimates of carbon dioxide emissions based on Plum Creek’s rezoning proposal. The ultimate impact would depend on the details, such as how many trees are cut for each building lot, the size of the buildings and the distances between the new neighborhoods and the grocery stores.

Here are some findings:

The clearing of trees to develop all the houses and resorts in Plum Creek’s long-term plan would generate between 387,378 and 501,081 metric tons of carbon dioxide, more than half the output of Wyman.

Transportation associated with the development would contribute nearly 10,000 metric tons of CO2 a year – the equivalent of emissions from 1,850 cars and trucks.

New buildings would release about 13,000 metric tons of CO each year, the equivalent of 2,525 cars and trucks.

Want to know more? Look here for the report.

E-mail this entry to a friend