“New England Clean Energy Connect” may resume construction
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“New England Clean Energy Connect” may resume construction
Central Maine Power has a green light to resume construction of its controversial 145-mile electricity corridor through the Maine woods – a project thought to be killed by voters in 2021 but resurrected in court in 2023.
On Tuesday, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection lifted its suspension of the project issued in November 2021, two weeks after Maine voters resoundingly backed a referendum to stop the corridor, 59% to 41%.
But CMP successfully sued, arguing that the referendum imposed a retroactive law that violated its vested rights on a lawfully permitted project for which it had spent $450 million of a $1 billioin budget.
On April 20, a Cumberland County civil jury unanimously found in favor of CMP 9-0.
The window for a potential appeal closed last Friday, May 12, and as Maine’s Total Coverage reported, none of the eligible parties filed an appeal.
Opponents of Maine electricity corridor won't appeal verdict allowing CMP to restart project
Maine DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim notified the company Tuesday its construction permit is no longer suspended.
The department requires CMP to notify DEP at least five days before it plans to resume construction.
CMP has yet to announce a construction timedtable. It needs to reposition equipment and rehire or replace hundreds of workers laid of a year-and-a-half ago.
The project will be subject to weekly third-party inspections.
DEP documents and information for this project are available on the Department’s website at https://www.maine.gov/dep/land/projects/necec/index.html
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