State regulators are calling a public hearing on whether they should pull the license they issued for Central Maine Power's transmission line through western Maine. The move comes after a state judge last month voided a lease of state lands CMP needs for its preferred route.
Judge Michaela Murphy found that state officials in the administrations of Gov. Janet Mills and former Gov. Paul LePage bypassed a requirement to make a finding on whether the lease would result in a "significant alteration" of public lands. If found that it would, the state constitution requires approval by two-thirds of each chamber of the Legislature.
The hearing is set for Oct. 19. The Department of Environmental Protection says it will be split into two parts — a morning session for legal parties to the original proceedings, and an evening session for the general public. The hearing will be conducted online via Zoom, due to COVID-19 concerns.
CMP and the state, meanwhile, are appealing the judge's ruling to the state's Supreme Judicial Court.