The Maine Secretary of State has certified a citizens' ballot initiative aimed at prohibiting construction of Central Maine Power Co.'s New England Clean Energy Connect transmission project.
It is the second such attempt by Maine activists to scuttle the controversial project, a 145-mile line that will include 54 miles of new transmission line but otherwise expand the existing corridor by 75 feet on average across the state's western forests.
According to the office of Maine's Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, activists on Jan. 21 submitted to the agency 95,622 signatures in support of the initiative, out of which 80,506 signatures were validated, according to a Feb. 22 news release. Proponents of the initiative needed at least 63,067 valid signatures to have the referendum certified.
Now, Maine state lawmakers can consider the initiative and either enact a bill as written in the referendum or put it to a vote on the state's Nov. 2 ballot. If passed, either by the legislature or directly by the voters, such a bill would require retroactive approval by the state legislature for any high-impact electric transmission lines, potentially imperiling the $1 billion project.
Additionally, any transmission lines utilizing public lands would require two-thirds approval in each house of the legislature. The bill would further prohibit any construction of such transmission lines in the Upper Kennebec region.
Although the project would transmit hydropower from Canada to the U.S. through Maine's western forests to an existing substation in Lewiston, Maine, to provide power to Massachusetts ratepayers, CMP has argued the project has significant benefits for Maine residents.
Massachusetts ratepayers will bear the entire cost of the project, according to a company website touting the benefits of the project. The utility also points to the creation of 1,600 construction jobs, lower electricity rates across New England and $200 million in grid investments and improvements, among other advantages.
Grassroots activists and other power infrastructure developers have fought the project in the courts, with many construction activities currently on hold due to an injunction issued by a federal appeals court in January that was sought by conservation organizations.
The Natural Resources Council of Maine, which was among the environmental groups seeking the injunction, has decried the impact to brook trout and deer wintering habitats, among other environmental concerns.
New England Clean Energy Connect "would cut 53 miles of new power line through undeveloped parts of Maine's forests, forever fragmenting the largest contiguous temperate forest in North America and perhaps the world," according to Natural Resources Council of Maine.
This latest citizens' initiative comes months after a different effort was deemed unconstitutional by the Maine Supreme Court. Iberdrola SA is the ultimate parent company of CMP.
