MAINE PUBLIC • September 21, 2022
It’s been 15 years since 28 turbines began spinning on Mars Hill, making this rural town the first community in New England to host a utility-scale wind farm. Neighbors were assured the Mars Hill turbines would be nearly silent so they were surprised by the noise, the low-level vibrations and the periodic shadow-effects. More than a dozen homeowners sued the developer, First Wind, claiming the turbines were hurting their health and property values. The company eventually paid an undisclosed sum, and the homeowners agreed to stay quiet. But the controversy, along with the regulatory and legal battles surrounding the Mars Hill project, had an impact. State regulators set stricter noise limits on turbines located near homes. And voters in dozens of towns prohibited wind farms or imposed setback requirements based on the experiences of people living near turbines. While the pace of wind power development in Maine has slowed, it hasn't stopped. A Texas company hopes to build Maine's largest wind farm just 10 miles away.