DEP Hears Testimony on Permit Suspension of Power Corridor
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The Maine Department of Environmental Protection on Nov. 22 launched a final public hearing before the commissioner decides whether to withdraw a permit for a $1 billion electricity transmission project.
Opponents of the project urged Commissioner Melanie Loyzim to uphold the will of the people who rebuked the project in a referendum vote.
“There is simply no basis to allow any further construction in the face of that vote,” said Jamie Kilbreath, attorney for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, a leading environmental advocacy group.
Matt Manahan, attorney for the developers, urged the commissioner to wait until there’s a court ruling on the referendum’s constitutionality. “The commissioner should respect the role of the court,” he said.
The hearing, which was expected to stretch into the evening, came days after developers temporarily halted construction in western Maine.
New England Clean Energy Connect Transmission LLC stopped construction Friday on the 145-mile (233-kilometer) project at the request of Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.
The project would supply up to 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower to the New England power grid.
The Maine proposal for a transmission line mostly followed existing utility corridors. But a new section needed to be cut through 53 miles (85 kilometers) of woods to reach the border.
Related News
From Archive
- Tunnel boring machine ‘Clack-A-Mole’ nears one-third completion in Oregon outfall project
- Lynchburg, Va., breaks ground on largest-ever Blackwater CSO tunnel project
- Texas A&M weighs underground transit plan with Elon Musk's Boring Co. to reduce campus traffic
- Wyo-Ben’s Max Gel, Max Bore HDD system boost drilling efficiency, performance
- Colorado's Wolf Creek Pass tunnel drainage project begins
- Wisconsin proposes new PFAS drinking water standards to align with federal rules
- Elgin, Ill., joins EPA drinking water initiative to accelerate lead pipe replacement
- Dog River pipeline replacement in Oregon improves water supply with new HDPE pipe
- Leaking wastewater systems named top source of San Diego River contamination, study finds
- New Portable Welding System From Miller
Comments