Multi-million-dollar wind deal approved by state regulators
By Naomi Schalit and John Christie
Senior Reporters
April 11, 2012

State regulators on Tuesday approved a multi-million-dollar deal that could fund construction of hundreds of wind turbines in Maine and the Northeast, despite a staff recommendation to reject the proposal. All three members of the Public Utilities Commission voted for a complex series of transactions among First Wind, Bangor Hydro and Maine Public Service andMore

Meeting land-based wind goals not likely, say two state studies
By Naomi Schalit and John Christie
Senior Reporters
March 29, 2012

Maine will not be able to accomplish the state-mandated goals of building 2000 megawatts of wind power on land by 2015. That’s one conclusion of two studies issued this week by the governor’s energy office and an independent group of researchers. The studies also urged reconsideration of the landmark 2008 law that allowed wind turbinesMore

PUC releases confidential transcript in wind energy case
By Naomi Schalit and John Christie
January 31, 2012

  A proposal for a joint venture that would undertake major construction of wind towers across the state and region has encountered more regulatory complications, a week after reports were published that state officials recommended the proposal be turned down.   The state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) was set to decide on Jan. 31 whetherMore

PUC staff: no-go for energy firms’ wind deal
By Naomi Schalit and John Christie, Senior Reporters
January 19, 2012

Last April, Maine’s largest wind energy developer, First Wind, trumpeted a multimillion-dollar deal that would pay for the company’s ambitious plans to erect more wind turbines throughout Maine and the Northeast. But in just the last week,  the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) dealt a potentially fatal blow to the deal. Faced with what opponentsMore

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— Thomas Jefferson

The Facts

is a weekly feature of Pine Tree Watchdog that provides non-partisan and independent research, background and context on topics of interest to Maine people.

Loss of moderates like Snowe means DC stalemates more likely

May 1, 2012 © Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting

The number of political moderates in the U.S. Senate is dwindling, and the departure of Senator Olympia Snowe, who is not seeking reelection, could further reduce their ranks. Senate moderates, those who do not follow a strict party line, have declined from 46 in 1977 to only six in 2009, according to one study. InMore

Reporter's Notebook

Who says that everything we do at MCPIR is deadly serious? 03.27.2012

Staff reporters John Christie and Naomi Schalit headed down to Boston University recently for a weekend conference on narrative journalism. In between the workshops on things like “Sequencing: The Basics of Story Mechanics” and “One Story, Many Paths: Interactive Documentaries/Non-linear Storytelling” (we’re still not quite sure what non-linear storytelling is, except perhaps something an excitedMore

The Spectator

Dear Pinetreegate Tipsters III 03.27.2012

Dear Pinetreegate Tipsters: Please call me in the next day or two. – John Christie, 458-2023

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