Lewiston Sun Journal

Central Maine Power is planning to build a energy transmission corridor through 53 miles of undeveloped forests in northern Maine, and the company is are calling it a “Clean Energy Corridor.”

This is far from the truth. The corridor will threaten wildlife and ecosystems, and it doesn’t create any new renewable energy. CMP is in partnership with Hydro-Quebec on this project, and its construction is completely for-profit — it will generate billions for corporations, disrupt necessary climate action, and leave very little for the state of Maine.

The construction of this corridor is in question — the Maine Constitution and Maine Statute require two-thirds vote of the Legislature to approve any large-scale industrial, commercial, or utility lease of public lands — but that didn’t stop the Bureau of Parks and Lands from entering into a lease with CMP.

By supporting LD 471 — “An Act To Require Legislative Approval for Certain Leases of Public Lands” — we can fight back on CMP’s illegal lease retroactively, and require a two-thirds majority vote on any utility projects.

Jillian Pelletier, Mechanic Falls