By a 4-2 vote Monday morning, the commission rejected Maine Mountain Power's 54-megawatt Black Nubble Wind Farm, which proposed 18 turbines on the Franklin County mountain of the same name.
In the afternoon, the citizen board approved TransCanada's 132-megawatt Kibby Wind Power project, which calls for placing 44 turbines on Kibby Mountain and Kibby Range, both in Franklin County. When constructed, that project will be the largest of its kind in New England, according to TransCanada.
The two decisions amount to a mixed bag for the state's fledgling wind industry.
The Kibby project, when added to other developments that have been built or approved, means that roughly 4 percent of electricity powering Maine homes could come from wind by 2011, enough to affect price stability, according to wind- power advocates.
Nick Di Domenico, of TransCanada, said turbines could be erected on the site starting in 2009. He called the approval "very gratifying."
At the same time, wind advocates say the Black Nubble decision underscores the fact that the approval process for generators is long and uncertain.
Harley Lee, a developer of the Black Nubble proposal, called the commission's decision on his application a "wake-up call" for the need for a different way to approve wind-power applications in Maine.
Lee said that permitting wind power is difficult in New England in general, and particularly hard in Maine.
He said the Black Nubble rejection, which followed the denial a year ago of a 30-turbine proposal that would have included both Black Nubble and Redington Pond Range, added some urgency to the work of Gov. John Baldacci's wind-power task force.
That task force is expected to issue a report and recommendations within weeks.
David Farmer, spokesman for the governor, said he expects task force recommendations to go to the Legislature this session.
Baldacci was disappointed that the Black Nubble project was rejected, Farmer said. He said the law enforced by the commission, which acts as the planning board for Maine's vast unorganized territories, is old and not designed for wind power.
Providing developers with a more consistent and predictable process is necessary, Farmer said, although he added that changing the process doesn't necessarily mean that more projects will be approved.
"You give (wind-power developers) a blueprint of the road they need to travel, and they will have an easier time traveling it," he said.
More wind power would provide jobs and lower electricity rates and would be good for the environment, Farmer said.
During their deliberations Monday, commissioners cited potential effects on natural resources on Black Nubble, which offers habitat for several rare animal and plant species, but spent more time on the development's visual effect.
The 400-foot-tall lighted towers would have a dramatic effect on the Appalachian Trail, which comes within miles of the mountain, according to groups that opposed the application.
Commissioners also worried about the effect of building roads and erecting turbines in a remote, undeveloped area.
Commissioner Rebecca Kurtz said the application proposed what amounts to an industrial site on a mountaintop and could affect both the mountain scenery and the area's natural resources.
"It just seems that there are some huge potential impacts," Kurtz said.
Commissioner Steve Schaefer, however, said that he struggled with the idea of trying to determine the project's visual effects.
Some manmade structures, such as lighthouses or bridges, have a dramatic visual imprint on a natural landscape but still are considered beautiful, he said, adding, "What are we going to say about (wind turbines) in 200 years?"
After deliberations,...
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