Two environmental groups that supported a state permit for Central Maine Power's controversial power corridor in western Maine now say the company has failed to meet a key condition of that permit.
The Nature Conservancy and the Conservation Law Foundation say CMP was supposed to file by last Friday a robust plan demonstrating its ability to conserve 40,000 acres of land in the area. That was to mitigate for clearing a 51-mile swathe of continuous woodlands for the corridor's most remote section. CMP has already cleared most of that route.
"We believe they're not meeting the letter or intent of the permit condition,” said the conservancy’s Rob Wood.
He said what CMP filed was instead a general outline with few specifics or commitments.
"With the 18-month window to develop a robust conservation plan, CMP could have at a minimum signed option agreements with landowners for conservation of all or some of the 40,000 acres that's required by the permit,” Wood said.
The groups are calling on the Department of Environmental Protection to find CMP to be in non-compliance and then pursue remedies. CMP said in a statement that its filing meets the permit standards, and the company would work with the state to choose properties that meet regulators' standards.