Jay residents voted overwhelmingly to oppose Central Maine Power’s proposed 145-mile transmission project through western Maine during a special town meeting Monday evening.
The Sun Journal reports that 241 residents participated in the show-of-hands vote just after 6:30 p.m. The vote makes Jay the latest town to come out against the proposal, including Wilton, Jackman and Farmington.
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Residents also authorized the select board to submit a letter in oppostion to Central Maine Power, New England Clean Energy Connect, Maine Public Utilities Commission, Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Maine Land Use Planning Commission, which the board agreed to.
The $1 billion transmission project, known as the New England Clean Energy Connect, would bring Canadian hydro power to customers in Massachusetts. That project includes 53 new miles of corridor and upgrades to existing power lines running through western Maine, where opposition among residents is strong.
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About 7.1 miles of the transmission line run through Jay, the Sun Journal reports.