Central Maine Power’s controversial proposal for a transmission line through western Maine continues to draw attention from regulators and opponents. On Tuesday morning, the Maine Public Utilities Commission gave its final approval for a spinoff company to own and operate the project.
The new company is called NECEC LLC, for the New England Clean Energy Connect.
PUC commissioners also turned down a complaint from independent U.S. Senate candidate Max Linn, who alleged the Commission failed to properly value and seek compensation for economic harms the transmission line would cause.
Separately today, the Sierra Club filed a Freedom of Information suit against the Department of Energy seeking documents related to what’s called a “Presidential Permit” the project needs.
“We’ve requested documents related to the environmental analysis that’s required. And we have received less than 10 percent of that request,” says Sarah Leighton, director of the club’s Maine chapter.
Leighton says the club believes the DOE is keeping under wraps an analysis of the project’s potential effects on greenhouse gas emissions.
And last week, the Bangor Daily News reported that CMP took action in a federal complaint against a power generation company that could lose profits if the project goes online. CMP says NextEra Energy Resources has illegally refused to complete upgrades the Maine project needs to safely connect to the regional grid.