AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine's secretary of state won't be putting a referendum targeting a 145-mile hydropower transmission corridor on the November ballot. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said Friday that he will be abiding by a state supreme court ruling that the referendum question violated the Maine Constitution.
The parent company of Central Maine Power sued over the referendum that aimed to overturn decisions by three state agencies that approved the $1 billion utility transmission project in western Maine.
Avangrid Networks Inc. contended the Maine Constitution allows residents to hold referendums on legislative acts. But the power corridor was approved by state agencies, not lawmakers.