Business and Economy

Maine High Court Rules That Referendum To Stop CMP Corridor Must Be One Question, Not Three

Maine Public | By Associated Press

Published July 30, 2021 at 10:53 AM EDT

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Protesters attend a news conference to show there support for overriding Gov. Janet Mills' veto of a bill that would have banned entities owned by foreign governments from influencing Maine elections, Wednesday, June 30, 2021, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. The bill was inspired by Hydro-Quebec's vast spending to convince Maine voters to defeat referendums that would sink Central Maine Power's controversial transmission project.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine's supreme court has rejected an attempt to separate a referendum proposal to stop a 145-mile transmission line into three questions, instead of one.

The referendum question that'll be on the ballot this fall asks voters if they want to stop the project, require legislative approval of similar projects retroactively and require approval by a two-thirds vote for those projects that use public land.

The wording of the single question was approved by the office of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. The $1 billion New England Clean Energy Connect is intended to serve as a conduit for Canadian hydropower to reach the New England power grid.