A twelfth municipality that could host a new power line proposed by Central Maine Power has voted to oppose the plan. At town meeting Thursday night, Starks residents rejected a motion to support the project, 42-to-14.
A handful of measures that supporters hope could sink Central Maine Power's proposed 145-mile transmission line through western Maine were up for public hearing in Augusta Wednesday. Legislative action comes just as state energy regulators prepare to rule on a key permit for the project.
State environmental regulators took public testimony last night on Central Maine Power’s proposed 145-mile transmission line through western Maine, including 53 miles of newly-cleared corridor through the western Maine forest.
Staff at the Maine Public Utilities Commission is recommending approval of Central Maine Power’s proposed transmission line through western Maine. In a long-awaited “Examiner’s Report,” the Commission’s analysts said the controversial project “is in the public interest.”
As Opposition Mounts, Maine Lawmakers Consider Measures To Stall CMP Project
Staffers at the Maine Public Utilities Commission are scheduled to issue a preliminary opinion Friday on whether Central Maine Power should get a permit to build a transmission line from the state’s western border with Canada to Lewiston. And on Monday, environmental regulators will open public hearings on the project.
CMP Project Draws Bipartisan Opposition At Latest Press Conference
More than a dozen state lawmakers from both political parties held a press conference Thursday to oppose Central Maine Power's (CMP) proposed transmission line that would serve electricity customers in Massachusetts.
As state regulators work through permitting decisions for Central Maine Power’s proposed western Maine transmission line, numerous debates are emerging over whether the project will, in the long run, harm or help the environment.
The debate over Central Maine Power’s proposed billion-dollar transmission project is about more than just money. It’s also about threats to scenic vistas, wildlife habitat and backwoods culture, and whether all of that should take a back seat to what some see as the most urgent challenge of the day — fighting climate change.
Farmington last night became the latest and largest town to go on record against Central Maine Power’s proposed high-voltage transmission line through western Maine. Residents at the annual town meeting voted to require the Board of selectmen to void an earlier letter of support that CMP had sought, and reverse course.
Central Maine Power’s proposal to run a high-voltage transmission line 141 miles from western Maine to Lewiston has become a flash point in the region. Big issues are in play, from global climate change to New England’s energy landscape and outdoors economy.
Central Maine Power’s New England Clean Energy Connect is a proposed 145-mile high-voltage direct current transmission line from Beattie Township on the Canada border to an existing interchange in Lewiston. That includes roughly 90 miles alongside lines already in an existing corridor between Lewiston and Caratunk, and cutting 53 miles of entirely new corridor from Caratunk north and west to Quebec Province.
Central Maine Power’s proposal to run a new high-voltage transmission line through western Maine seems to grow more controversial every day. Maine Public Radio takes a broad look at why in the weeklong series “Power Struggle In The Maine Woods.”
