Blue Sky East LLC/Bull Hill

Development Permit Application DP 4886

Last Updated: October 17, 2011

On January 31, 2011 the Commission has received a Development Permit Application from Blue Sky East, L.L.C., an affiliate of First Wind of Boston, MA, for a 34.2 megawatt (MW) grid scale wind power project. Known also as the 'Bull Hill Wind Project', it is a 19 turbine wind power project proposed for Bull Hill and Heifer Hill ridges in T16 MD, Hancock County. The proposed turbines are Vestas V100 machines with a 1.8 MW rated power. The turbines will be on 95 meter towers and have 100 meter rotor diameters. Total height with blades fully extended would be approximately 145 meters (476 feet). The project will also include up to three 95 meter lattice type permanent meteorological towers. Power from each turbine will be collected in an underground 34.5 kilovolt (kV) collection system and flow to a new substation and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) facility located centrally in the project area. The new substation will "step up" the power to 115 kV and transmit it directly to Bangor Hydro Electric Company's Line 66. Line 66 is an existing 115kV transmission line that can accept the power from the project without structural upgrades. By locating the substation directly adjacent to Line 66, no new 115 kV transmission line will be necessary for the project. The entire Township of T16 MD is designated as expedited for permitting.

The Blue Sky East, LLC development permit application and other related documents may be viewed at the following the links and submitted comments as directed below. A paper copy of the application is also available for review by appointment at the LUPC Augusta office Maine Department of Conservation, 18 Elkins Lane/Harlow Building, Augusta, Maine (207) 287-2631; at the LUPC Downeast Regional Office, 106 Hogan Road, Suite 7, Bangor, Maine (207) 941-4052; at the Hancock County Commissioners Office, 50 State Street, Suite 7, Ellsworth, ME 04605 (207) 667-9542 and the Eastbrook Municipal Office at 959 Eastbrook Road, Eastbrook, ME (207) 565-3307.

Written comments on the application may be submitted by US Postal Service Mail to "LUPC, 22 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0022" or by email to lupc@maine.gov for consideration by the Commission. The Notice of Initiating Review below includes the deadline for requesting a public hearing and Intervenor status.

Questions about this matter, or requests to be added to or removed from the notice list for this project, may be directed to Donald Murphy, Project Planner, Donald.Murphy@maine.gov, (207) 287-2619.

Event or Document Location Date File(s)
Final Amended Permit     Cover Letter
Final Amended Permit
LURC October Commission Meeting Ramada Inn - Ellsworth, ME
October 5, 2011
Agenda item
October 5th Commission Audio
Draft Decision Permit for Commission Meeting Review Ramada Inn - Ellsworth, ME
October 5, 2011
Draft Decision Permit
LURC September Commission Meeting Agenda     Agenda item
LURC August Commission Audio  
August 3, 2011
Project Introduction from Applicant and Intervenors
Visual (Part 1)
Visual (Part 2)
Visual (Part 3)
Sound (Part 1)
Sound (Part 2)
Wildlife
Decommissioning (Part 1)
Decommissioning (Part 2)
Tangible Benefits
Stormwater
Deliberation Notebook  
July 29, 2011
Project Description (PDF)
Visual (PDF 2MB)
Study Area and Viewshed Maps (PDF 22MB)
Photosimulation VIA (PDF 42MB)
Sound (PDF 1MB)
Wildlife (PDF)
Decommissioning (PDF)
Tangible Benefits (PDF)
Stormwater (PDF)
Appendix A Statutes (PDF)

Additional Applicant and Agencies Submittals

 
June and July 2011
BSE and CCRHC Final Briefs (PDF 3MB)
BSE and IFW Monitoring Plan (PDF)
BSE Tangible Benefits Agreement (PDF 1MB)
DEP, IFW and BSE Additional Information (PDF 4MB)
BP&L Response to LURC (PDF)
IFW Response to LURC (PDF)
Applicant Response to Public Comments  
June 7, 2011
BSE Response Letter
Exhibit A - C
Exhibit D
Exhibit E - H
Public Comments and Petitions   Public Input Nov.-Dec. 2010
Public Input Feb.-April 2011
Public Input May 2011
Public Hearing Request Comments
Public Comment Emails
Public Hearing and Site Visit Agendas Ellsworth Ramada, 215 High St., Ellsworth, ME
May 16 and 17, 2011
Site Visit Itinerary
Public Hearing Agenda
Public Hearing Audio
Public Hearing Transcript - 5/16/2011 Evening Session
Public Hearing Transcript - 5/17/2011 Day Session
Public Hearing Transcript - 5/17/2011 Evening Session
Public Testimony
Parties Testimony
Updates by Applicant and Intervener     BSE Applicant Plan Revision (PDF 3MB)
NRCM Status Change (PDF)
Hancock County Commissioners' Letter for Tangible Benefits (PDF)
DEP Stormwater Comments (PDF)
IF & W Rebuttal Comments (PDF)
IF & W Request for BSE Supplemental (PDF)
Pre-filed Testimony by Applicant and Interveners  
April 25, 2011
BSE Scenic Testimony Exhibits 1-3 (PDF 16MB)
BSE Scenic Testimony Exhibits 4-5 (PDF 13MB)
BSE Scenic Testimony Exhibits 6-7 (PDF 21MB)
BSE Scenic Testimony Exhibits 8-9 (PDF 11MB)
BSE Sound Testimony Exhibits A-G (PDF)
BSE Stormwater Testimony Exhibits A-C (PDF)
BSE Environmental Testimony Exhibits A-C (PDF)
BSE Misc (PDF 4MB)
Concerned Citizens of Rural Hancock County (CCRHC) (PDF)
Applicants Response to Review Agency - Engineering Comments  
April 15, 2011
BSE Cover Letter (PDF)
BSE Civil Comments Response(PDF)
Revised Construction Plans April 15, 2011(PDF 22MB)
Revised Stormwater Plans April 15, 2011(PDF 22MB)
Applicants Response to Review Agency Comments  
April 13, 2011
BSE Response to Agency Comments (PDF 1MB)
Notice of Public Hearing DP 4886 Ellsworth Ramada, 215 High St., Ellsworth, ME
May 16 and 17, 2011
Public Hearing Notice (PDF)
Procedural Orders     Procedural Order #1 (PDF)
Procedural Order #2 (PDF)
Procedural Order #3 (PDF)
Application Review Comments  
March 29, 2011
Federal Agencies (PDF)
Other Maine Agencies (PDF 1MB)
Maine DEP and Soil Scientists (PDF)
ME Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (PDF 6MB)
ME Land Use Regulation Commission (PDF)
LURC Consultant for Scenic Assessment (PDF 3MB)
LURC Consultant for Sound Analysis (PDF)
March 2nd Commission Meeting Spectacular Event Center, Bangor, ME
March 2, 2011
Agenda
Deadline for Requesting Public Hearing or Intervenor Status Augusta LURC office before 12:00PM
February 23, 2011
 
Development Permit DP 4886 Application
February 2, 2011
LURC Forms (PDF 8MB)
Narrative (PDF 2MB)
Exhibits 1 - 7 (PDF 9MB)
Exhibit 8 - 11 (PDF 3MB)
Exhibit 12 (PDF 6MB)
Exhibit 13 (PDF 17MB)
Exhibits 14 - 20 (PDF 18MB)
Exhibit 21 (PDF 27MB)
Exhibits 22 - 24 (PDF 3MB)
Construction Exhibits 1B Part 1 (PDF 17MB)
Construction Exhibits 1B Part 2 (PDF 24MB)
Construction Exhibits 1B Part 3 (PDF 8MB)
Construction Exhibits 1B Part 4 (PDF 57MB)
Construction Exhibits 1B Part 5 (PDF 62MB)
Construction Exhibits 1B Part 6 (PDF 7MB)
Class L Exhibit 16A Substation Survey (PDF 9MB)
Class L Exhibit 16A Survey (PDF 10MB)
Class L Appendix B (PDF 13MB)
Exhibit 18 - Appendix A (PDF 21MB)
Exhibit 18 - Appendix B (PDF 44MB)
Exhibit 18 - Appendix C (PDF 41MB
Exhibit 18 - Appendix D (PDF 16MB
Exhibit 18 - Visual Impacts (PDF .6MB)
Notice of Accepting as Complete for Processing  
February 2, 2011
Notice of Acceptance for Processing
Notice of Intent to File  
January 24, 2011
Notice of Intent to File (PDF)