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Not a done deal
Central Maine Power would like Mainers to think their destructive corridor through an undeveloped region of western Maine is a done deal, but that is simply not true. The Army Corps permit is under federal appeal because they did not conduct an Environmental Impact Statement like they did for similar hydropower projects in New Hampshire and Vermont. The Department of Energy permit has not yet been granted. CMP still has municipal permits to obtain and multiple towns have ordinances that would not allow the project as proposed.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection permit is under appeal. There also remains a lawsuit challenging the legality of the public lands lease that CMP obtained without the two-thirds approval of the Maine Legislature required by the Maine Constitution.
It’s important for Mainers to know they can sign our new referendum directing the Legislature to require legislative approval for high-impact transmission lines, reinforce the constitutional requirement for legislative approval for projects traversing public lands, and protect the valuable upper Kennebec Gorge area from commercial exploitation.
If CMP decides to start work on the corridor before Mainers vote on this in November 2021, that would be a huge financial risk for their shareholders, both foreign and domestic. Our volunteer signature collectors gathered more than 23,000 signatures on Election Day. It’s time for the majority of Mainers who are opposed to this for-profit project to sign our No CMP Corridor petition so the people of Maine can have a voice on this matter once and for all.
Sandra Howard
Director
Say No to NECEC
Executive Director
No CMP Corridor PAC
Caratunk
Collins should call on Trump to concede
Congratulations to Sen. Susan Collins for winning a hard-fought reelection campaign. Now we need our senior senator to lead.
President Donald Trump has refused to concede the election. He’s provided no evidence to back up his baseless claims about the voting results. His administration had been denying access to the transition team of President-elect Joe Biden.
And look at the extreme right-wing chatter on social media. They are calling for Trump to declare martial law and nullify the will of the American people.
I believe Trump and his supporters have placed us on a slippery slope toward fascism. That’s a government led by a dictator that forcibly suppresses all opposition.
We need Collins to stand up and speak out loudly. We need Collins to publicly demand that the president concede and let the peaceful transition of power begin.
That’s why we reelected Sen. Collins, to be a national leader for Maine people. She must please speak out more forcefully while our democracy withers on the vine.
Michael Belliveau
Hudson
How can they all be wrong?
Can they really be all wrong? That is the question I have for opponents of the New England Clean Energy Connect. When the Maine Public Utilities Commission approved the plan for the transmission line, the anti-corridor crowd screamed that the commissioners did not have the best interests of Mainers in mind.
Then the Maine Land Use Regulatory Commission deemed the project was properly routed and beneficial to our state, significantly reducing our carbon emissions. Opponents were nonplussed. When the Maine Department of Environmental Protection determined the NECEC permitting requires “an unprecedented level of environmental and natural resource protection,” opponents once again essentially screamed, “What do they know?!”
Now the Army Corps of Engineers has given its approval to the project. Opponents immediately responded by asking a judge for an injunction to stop construction. It’s maddening.
Not only does our current governor support the project, our previous governor does as well. Both see this as a game-changing opportunity for Maine to improve, either to better its current economic situation or to make major inroads in the fight against the climate crisis.
All the people charged with looking out for the well-being of our state and making sure Maine’s natural resources are protected have said this project is good for Maine. Again, I ask the opponents of the NECEC, how can they be all wrong? The answer is they are not wrong. Mainers need to stop listening to the rhetoric and hyperbole of the big gas companies fighting the corridor and support this project. It is truly in our best interests.
Dean Bennett
Bradley