Many of you are aware of the King Pine wind farm, which was recently approved by the Public Utilities Commission and will be built in Aroostook County if it gets legislative support.
This project will have an adverse impact on the wonderful night skies in the area. The aircraft warning lights in these towers can be quite bothersome, and it will make the entire area look like an industrial zone.
However, we now have the technology, especially in these large turbines, to mitigate the nighttime light pollution. There are systems now that can turn off the lights at night if no aircraft are detected. Clear night skies are a contributing factor for many of the tourists who travel to our state, and much appreciated by residents as well. This is a common-sense requirement for the project, and the cost to install the equipment in each tower is not burdensome.
While systems that turn off the lights on wind turbines are relatively new, the technology does exist and should be applied to all wind turbines in the state. Washington state and Kansas have already attempted to require wind turbines in their states to reduce light pollution, and Maine should follow their example.
Donald McNelly
Island Falls
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