Dear Editor:

I proposed a gasification-based power plant for NASB (Naval Air Station Brunswick) as part of a "Green Energy Complex" that is worthy of review by the stakeholders in Wiscasset, since it is based on "green" waste - primarily wood chips, tree trimmings and even leaves that we have in abundance in mid-Coast Maine, and is exceptionally clean and inexpensive to acquire and operate.

I find it difficult to comprehend why the developer in Wiscasset would further deplete a fossil fuel that comes from coal mining, a dangerous and dirty industry that has wrecked havoc on entire states like West Virginia; or why they'd haul the coal over an expensive transportation system that stretches from one end of the U.S. to New England.

At the heart of my proposed power plant is a 500 Kwh cellulosic gasifier built by Ankur Scientific, an Indian company that is the world leader in this type of technology supplying over 100 systems a year. It is designed to convert waste wood from landfills, tree trimming services, and back yards into a mid range BTU gas which is then burned in efficient gas turbines to produce power.

The cost of the plant is a fraction of the coal plant—the cost per Kwh could be as low as two cents; the emissions are fully under control; the initial investment is very low; the woody feedstock is renewable and sustainable; the char and particulates that are filtered out are a saleable by- product; the quench pond is reusable, and there is a nearly zero impact on global warming since it uses wood, and not a fossil fuel. No sulphur or mercury or coal dust to worry about!

It is even possible to restore the region's fallow hayfields to productivity by growing crops like switchgrass that can be blended with the woodchips, and in the process, remove CO2 from the atmosphere, making the power plant a critical factor in preventing global warming.

As a result of the warming of New England's climate the Northern Forest Alliance estimates that the biomass is increasing at an annual rate of two to three percent over current use; while the State Planning Office estimates that in 2004 nearly 50,000 tons of wood construction waste were disposed of in municipal landfills.

What can be better for Wiscasset than an inexpensive power plant that uses a renewable natural resource and will help reverse global warming by consuming more CO2 than it produces and halt our dependence on coal fired power plants?

Please contact me for details at 207-729-6090 or attend my new alternative energy power producers action group that meets at Fort Andros in Brunswick or visit http://alternativeenergy.meetup.com/215/calendar/6585004/ for details of the group.

Frank J. Heller, MPA

Katahdin Energy Works

Brunswick

Few family members, neighbors or citizens have the wisdom and strength that Jo Bryer offered. She will be dearly missed in so many ways. She would begin a comment and I would have to listen carefully. I wanted to make sure where we started, what issues I was totally missing and what the bigger picture was in her thoughts. Often she would say to me, 'You know' and I would sit up. I never knew if it was a 'You know!' or a 'You know?' or a 'You know.' But she had my attention and I listened. It was the herald of a prophetic comment and I was fortunate to remember a fragment of what she said. First I wanted to figure out what side of the fence I was on and could I keep up with her thoughts.

It takes her passing for me to recognize her 'you know' was always a question. The answer is I do not and appreciated her conversations.

Bill Phinney

Neighbor

Dear Editor:

The draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Wiscasset Route 1 Corridor Study includes a list of route alternatives for the Wiscasset bypass.

The Maine Department of Transportation has asked for public input to ensure that nothing has been missed. Input will be accepted during a minimum 45-day open public comment period. MaineDOT and the Federal Highway Administration will then identify a preferred alternative.

There is a no build alternative and there are five build alternatives. The no build alternative is not recommended in the study. The southern most route (N8C, which comes out on Davis Island) is the route least preferred by Wiscasset and most preferred by Edgecomb.

A major design constraint is that in addition to Route 1 traffic, Route 27 traffic is a major contributor to the problem. Another major design constraint is that any new bridge built south of Fort Edgecomb would restrict river traffic unless the bridge were a cost-prohibitive 135 feet high (like the bridge at Bath). The high bridge is required by the Coast Guard for potential use of the river by very large ocean going vessels. One thing that was missed was that a much lower bridge could be approved by the Coast Guard, based on current use.

Comments are due by Dec. 21, 2007.

Here is the contact information:

Mark Hasselmann

FHWA

Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building

40 Western Avenue, Room 614

Augusta, ME 04332

Or,

Mr. Edward Hanscom, PE

Maine Department of Transportation

Bureau of Planning

16 State House Station

Augusta, ME 04333-0016

Whether you reside in Lincoln County or not, if you have any ideas on what was missed in the study, that could break the Wiscasset / Edgecomb deadlock, and satisfy the major design constraints, please submit them to FHWA and MDOT now.

Jim Simonetti

Wiscasset

Dear Editor:

At first I was saddened when I heard that another Wiscasset business had failed. But, being one who can always see a potential opportunity at the expense of someone else, I quickly realized that when Curves went belly up (I can't believe I said that) it provided a great chance for entrepreneurial action. Here, then, is the plan.

We rename "Curves" to "More Curves." The place would be fitted out with an abundance of big comfy beanbag chairs. An array of flat screen televisions equipped with Tivo so that every soap opera episode on the air will be recorded for playback on demand.

Each patron will have a personal remote control and a call button for ordering endless amounts of chocolate bon bons, milk shakes, fresh pizza, potato chips and big gulp cokes (diet of course) and any other customer requested goodies.

A manicurist will be on hand to roll right up to the bean-bagged customer for nail service and gossip. There will be no mirrors on the premises except for personal handheld makeup mirrors.

If this business works as well as expected, then a male counterpart will follow. Of course a different menu including Bud in the can, pizza, potato chips, hot dogs with fried onions and French fries will be furnished as well as every football, basketball, hockey game and Dallas Cowboy cheerleading tryouts event offered on TV. We could name it "Pots."

Anyone interested in investing, please contact me and details will be sent by return mail in a plain paper wrapper. Please hurry before the folks at Point East steal this idea. After all, they are getting desperate.

Skip Taylor

Wiscasset

An Open Letter

to the People of Wiscasset

We are probably not alone in saying that we're glad the referendum campaign for the height ordinance change is over. The phone calls, the mailings, the leaflets, and the signs—we are just as tired of them as you are.

Company officials have said they would not proceed with their proposal if they did not have the support of Wiscasset residents. The people of Wiscasset have spoken and rejected the ordinance change and with it Twin River Energy's proposal for a coal gasification plant.

Now it is time to move forward, and look toward the future economic development of Wiscasset and the Midcoast.

When Point East first proposed developing the former Maine Yankee and Mason Station properties with houses, condos, shops and restaurants, they were welcomed with open arms. It was a good idea then, and it remains a good idea today. Making those projects succeed and prosper will go a long way towards giving Wiscasset the best of both worlds - both a larger tax base with lower taxes and a clean environment and retained heritage for our children and grandchildren.

The debate over the coal plant was spirited--at times even heated--but that was a debate over a coal plant and not residential and mixed-use development. The company should not see the rejection of the coal plant as a rejection of their Point East plans. And they should not see it as a rejection of them as a company.

Over the last few months, we've all learned a lot about some very important issues. Before this summer, who even knew what "gasification" meant? In particular the symposium at Chewonki, in which leading experts gathered to talk about new ways to deal with the carbon dioxide that comes from coal power in our rapidly warming world, stands out as an example of some of the "good" that has come out of this debate.

We found, as we talked to people outside the Post Office, the Transfer Station, at Shaw's and on the street, that almost everyone was willing to listen and consider the facts. In the end, we didn't all agree, but we found we could disagree without animosity or bitterness.

Occasionally issues of native versus transplant, or one town against another were raised. But the fact is that all of us - those of us who were born and raised here and those of us who were smart enough to move here - are neighbors. We all want the best for this community and this region for ourselves and our children and grandchildren.

Let's all redouble our energy in support of the region's prosperous future and of a community we can proudly say we protected and nurtured for future generations. By joining forces and working together, we can prepare Wiscasset for the future and still have the Prettiest Village in Maine.

Back River Alliance

Wiscasset

Dear Editor:

This month we celebrate three years as owners of the Alna Store and there are a lot of people who have helped us make our dream here come true.

Thank you to the Bryant Lothrop family for their gracious letter last month. They are one of the many families who have become part of our store's community and success. We appreciate each of our patron's faith and ongoing support. And we are also grateful to all those who have worked with us and helped us through good and tough times since November 2004.

Looking forward to a continued happy future in this wonderful community,

Amy and Mike Preston

Owners, Alna Store

Dear Editor:

As much as I admire Christopher Cooper's writing style, I have to say that his paean to rock stars (11/1/07) left me unimpressed.

Many celebrity musicians make themselves very wealthy by singing and prancing around on stage, which involves very little personal risk or inconvenience, while basking in the adulation of naive and gullible audiences. When was the last time you read about any popular music star who risked arrest and incarceration at a political protest of any kind?

I spend my days writing about activists who actually put themselves on the line, who are busy these days getting themselves arrested down at the Federal Building for misdemeanor trespassing in the offices of their elected representatives or for disturbing the peace in Congressional hearing rooms in Washington, D.C.

The people I meet at rallies, marches, and occupations are outraged by the actions of the cutthroats and cranks who have hi-jacked our government. They fear for the future of our country, but somehow they find the courage to exercise their rights as American citizens. None of them are famous, nor are they rich, unless you compare them to the 41 percent of suffering humanity who lack access to sanitary facilities comparable to those available in U.S. jails.

If Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, or that past-his-prime protest singer of yesteryear, Bob Dylan, were to exert themselves in behalf of peace and social justice by putting themselves on the line, spending an afternoon in a congressional office and a night in jail, it would be a lot easier to take their art seriously. These days, most of the singing of protest songs is being done by mothers, grandmothers, white-haired little old ladies, ministers, priests, former priests, and other ordinary middle-aged and older folks, with a sprinkling of college and high school students.

If rock stars want credibility, let them use their voices to lift the spirits of those who are doing the heavy First Amendment lifting and risking fines and jail time for their efforts.

Michael Gillespie

Maxwell, IA

Via E-mail