FARMINGTON – A transmission line project designed to connect Canadian hydro-power to the Massachusetts grid drew roughly 150 people to a Maine Public Utilities Commission hearing held on the University of Maine at Farmington campus Friday evening. A second, simultaneous hearing was held in The Forks.
Forty people provided the MPUC hearing officers with testimony regarding the $950 million project, which would consist of 189 total miles of corridor. Seventy-three percent of those miles would impact existing corridors, with a total of 145 miles of combined new and upgraded corridor linking a substation in Lewiston to the Canadian border through a Direct Current transmission line. The remaining 44 miles of line would impact AC infrastructure south of Lewiston and from Winslow down to Wiscasset, to accommodate the increased load.
In Franklin County, the project would create roughly 12 miles of new corridor in the Unorganized Territory in the northernmost portion of the county. It would also impact 20.6 miles of existing corridor running through six municipalities: Industry, New Sharon, Farmington, Wilton, Chesterville and Jay.
The majority of comments provided to the MPUC Friday evening, which will determine whether or not to grant CMP’s Petition for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, were in opposition to the project. Speakers addressed the potential environmental impact, the importance of environmental tourism to the region and what they saw as a lack of project benefits for Mainers. Several concluded that the project was not necessary for the state of Maine and that its petition should be denied.
Sen. Tom Saviello (R – Wilton) and Rep. Russell Black (R – Wilton) both spoke against the project. Saviello is part of a group consisting of selectmen from Farmington, Wilton, New Sharon and Chesterville, as well as the Greater Franklin Development Council and the county commissioners. That group had been meeting with project representatives for roughly two months in what Saviello said were “good faith negotiations” that culminated in the group presenting CMP with a draft Memorandum of Understanding that included $26 million in local benefits.
The proposed MOU included $16.55 million for the GFDC Broadband Initiative in waived fees, $2.3 million in operational support for GFDC, $4 million in town leveraging funds, $42,500 for low-income energy efficiency and food security programs, $1 million in academic scholarships and programming at RSU 9, RSU 73, SAD 58 and the Stratton School as well as $500,000 toward an internship program at the University of Maine at Farmington, $1 million toward tax relief, $1 million for redevelopment in the Rangeley area, $1 million in recreational support for Kingfield, Carrabassett Valley and the Stratton area. This includes events such as the Kingfield Pops and efforts such as eco-tourism and non-motorized trail systems. A limited liability corporation would be established to manage the funds, aside from those associated with GFDC and the UMF internship program, which would also be managed by GFDC.
The local group anticipated meeting with CMP officials regarding the proposed MOU but that meeting was cancelled. Saviello said that he had been asked by CMP to step away from the negotiations, a request he said could be linked to the recent issues between him and Governor Paul LePage. The governor called Saviello “repugnant” at a Government Oversight Committee meeting on Aug. 20; not the first time the two have been at odds. Saviello said earlier this week that he would step aside within the Franklin County negotiating committee.
CMP spokesman John Carroll said Thursday that CMP had no comment on the local group’s MOU, and that CMP was in discussions with a number of different groups.
On Friday, Saviello contrasted the NECEC with projects in New Hampshire and Vermont that included hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits for their respective states. Eversource’s Northern Pass proposal in New Hampshire, Saviello noted, involved a $200 million in funds earmarked for economic development, conservation and clean energy, among other benefits.
“I would ask [the PUC] to vote no when the time comes,” Saviello said. “We are no longer a colony of Massachusetts.”
Black said he was also opposed to the project as presented. He echoed Saviello’s position, saying that the project benefits were heavily weighed to Massachusetts and Quebec.
The project has support from a number of towns and cities in Maine, including five of the six towns in the southern part of the county. Selectmen boards in Farmington, Wilton, Industry, Chesterville and Jay have all previously issued letters of support, as did the county commissioners. Saviello said, however, that he believed those boards did not have full knowledge of the project’s impacts and benefits when those letters were issued.
According to Selectman Scott Landry, the Farmington Board of Selectmen has decided to file as an intervenor on behalf of the town.
“We’re not going in favor or against the project. We just want to have some issues addressed and remain at the table,” Landry said.
CMP has detailed three main benefits when describing the project: an average of 1,700 jobs created each year of the five year project, an estimated $1.5 million in new property tax revenue in Franklin County, per CMP’s calculations, and a reduction in greenhouse gases by introducing Canadian hydro-power to the New England grid.
Specifically, utilizing 2016-17 mil rates and state valuation numbers, CMP projects an additional $467,000 in property taxes in Jay, an additional $463,000 in Farmington, an additional $141,000 in Industry, an additional $82,000 in New Sharon, an additional $52,000 in Wilton and an additional $37,000 in Chesterville. Another $300,000 would be generated in the Unorganized Territories.
CMP has begun pushing back against claims by groups like the Natural Resources Council of Maine that question whether the project truly represents green energy, saying that those groups are allying themselves with the fossil fuel industry.
“NRCM and the Sierra Club wrongly claim that energy for the Massachusetts contract will be transferred from other electricity markets,” CMP and Hydro-Québec wrote in a joint statement that appeared in Commonwealth Magazine. “The reality is that Hydro-Québec has additional energy available … What’s lacking is enough transmission to bring that power to the New England market. The New England Clean Energy Connect unlocks Hydro- Québec hydropower potential by creating an additional transmission path from Québec to Maine.”
Speakers at Friday’s meeting that gave testimony in opposition to the project said that the impacts of NECEC would be greater than advertised and that the benefits did not go to Maine. Some speakers brought up issues going back to the creation of Flagstaff Lake.
Vaughan Woodruff, the founder of the solar firm INsource Renewables, questioned if CMP could be trusted with a project of NECEC’s magnitude.
“This project is running and chewing gum at the same time,” Woodruff said. “We should make sure that CMP can run first.”
Not everyone that spoke was opposed to the project. Selectman Paul Frederick of Starks said that the project would be impacting existing corridor lines in southern Franklin County. Just because NECEC was “controversial,” Frederick said, “doesn’t mean it’s bad.”
“I think this looks like a pretty good deal for people trying to pay their taxes,” Frederick said.
Another opportunity for public testimony will occur on Oct. 17, hearing officer Mitch Tannenbaum said, at the MPUC offices in Hallowell.
Why does it sound like those with the least to lose want this to go thru Maine? The area around the Forks will be forever changed by this. The 300 foot wide slash will send money from Mass to Quebec , with the Spanish owned CMP making most of it. Maine will get nothing. We will get more herbicide sprayed over 150 miles of forest land, we will lose the wilderness with a slash opening up the region to heavier off-road traffic. And the forest will be further sectioned into little pieces until you won’t be able to tell the difference from Massachusetts. Jay may not think it has much at stake ,, but please do not be shortsighted in this ,, once it is gone Maine will come out the loser ,,, Windmills at every direction are bad enough ,,, we don’t need to do this , ,,, we will get nothing and lose everything ,,,,,
…Welcome to the ‘New World Order’ ..
What will your Grandchildren think
of your decision when the beauty of our wilderness is lost to Cell Towers,
Wind Generators and Electric Transmission Lines ? Such actions have
destroyed, what used to be the Golden State of California, and Maine will
soon follow. The ‘North American Electric Grid Plan’ is well in motion and
future generations will damm us for such shallow thinking.
People need to think outside of what they will see in town. The 53 miles of new corridor that will be cut from the Canadian border to Rt. 201 is going to totally ruin some of the most majestic places this state has left. I keep hearing people say that ” it’s just industrial forest anyways”. Well the people that say this obviously have no idea what they are talking about and have never been there. This is a bad deal and once its done there is no going back, we need to protect the few places in this state that are truly still undeveloped and wild! If more people got off there hind ends, put down there cell phones and got out and experienced some of these things, then maybe they would see just how much we have to lose from this shady deal.
Vaughan Woodruff, the founder of the solar firm INsource Renewables, questioned if CMP could be trusted with a project of NECEC’s magnitude.
“This project is running and chewing gum at the same time,” Woodruff said. “We should make sure that CMP can run first.”
On its merits alone this desecration project is doomed. Cmp/Avangrid/Iberdola use Maine ratepayers as a cash machine. They are currently being investigated by an independent auditor for billing metering and customer service malfeasance. A class action alleges they knowingly blamed ratepayers for their own ineptitude. We ratepayers know the truth, we’ve been dealing with their lies for over a year. Anyone willing to do with business with them is suspect too. Mass ratepayers ought to be skeptical, in fact their rates will likely double. Why is hydro Quebec hiding? The NECEC is not clean or green and no mitigation, no amount of money, can alter the lasting effects this mess will leave behind in Maine.
Temple I’m again this project too, but most of the land has been clear cut and or has be cut already, and a lot of people doesn’t even go in the area where it going, yes maybe the Folks, but go out and look at the land they want to use and then come back and fix your commit, again I am not for is but get the facts right
People need to stop whining about killing a few trees along a power line. Very minimal compared to the harvesting of forest products we all enjoy. The real issue is money; how stupid are we? VT and NH’s proposal was $200M yet many towns support a proposal of $26M? With some of that money earmarked specifically for two of the richest towns around, Rangeley and Carrabassett!
Maine has limited assets but land and trees are the most abundant. It’s ok to use your assets; that’s how we survive and grow. Sadly many elected officials don’t utilize their greatest asset, the brain, which is key in negotiations.
Why does the beauty in our state continue to be on the slate for out of state interests? No, no and no again! This does not benefit our state in any way with the exception of a few greed lined pockets.
I’m not necessarily in support or against this. However I feel the statement “we will lose everything” seems a bit over dramatic.
when was the last time “Corporate America” promised something, and 100% delivered on that promise? If this project goes through, there are going to be a lot of proponents who open their tax bill in 2, 3, 10 years from now and be very disappointed. I am by no means a wealthy person, but you could literally cut my tax bill in half the first year and then reduce it by 2% every year after that for the life of the project and I would still say “no” to this project. some parts of this earth are worth keeping as wild as can be. CMP are a bunch of snakes. “this project gets excess hydro power to Maine” yeah, and then it goes right on through to southern NE. thank you so much. “It will save Maine $40M each year on energy savings” oh, wow, there are 1.3M people in Maine…that’s $30.77 each year per person savings. again, thank you so much! meanwhile, CMP has lobbyists pushing to CHARGE US for the power we generate at our own homes with private solar arrays. yes, those are the people we are supposed to be trusting. they are not honest people folks.
Corporations wait until the political climate is right (a governor who favors business…LePage) before they propose such projects to ensure they get what they want. ( Irving did the same thing with the acid ore mining bill.) Then, citizens don’t have much of a chance preventing it from going through. A project that has so much opposition and controversy and that will have such a permanent impact on an area, should not be decided by those who happen to be in office at a point in time. (Like the Norridgewock dump.) This should be decided by popular vote so the people decide.
Sorry I missed the meeting as this is not clear to me…”The proposed MOU included $16.55 million for the GFDC Broadband Initiative in waived fees”
Sounds like CMP is really giving something here, but in reality they are just marking up the value of something and saying they’ll let broadband companies use it.
These “waived fees” are for use of the fiber optic cable that CMP was going to put on top of the towers ANYHOW for their own purposes.
If CMP really wanted to do something, then they should donate $16.55 million in funds for development of broadband.
As it stands now, there would just be a cable way up high in the sky like a bridge to nowhere.
I’ve emailed the Environmental Rep. for NECEC, and the State of Maine DEP questioning the herbicides used on the corridors, and its potential environmental impact. I haven’t gotten a response for going on two weeks now. The town of Wilton Selectman Board wrote a letter of approval so maybe one of them could touch on the herbicides? I would assume they did their homework?
I’ll say it again. This is similar to all the wind turbines going in, which are also a scam and an even worse blight on our landscape. Where was the opposition then?
I find myself in agreement with Captain Planet on this one. He is right, we have limited assets and the north/east/western parts of Maine are falling more and more into the decay of rural poverty. CMP can wait until property values are so low, they can buy alternative paths. Look at what they did two years ago on main street in East Wilton where there used to be a great light show. Not only did they buy out the owner, they removed any trace of a dwelling in one day.
not attacking you personally Dave, just the sentiment of “I’m not necessarily in support or against this. However I feel the statement “we will lose everything” seems a bit over dramatic.” while this is true, there have been plenty of people say just this before the first wind turbine went in , and again after the 2nd and 3rd wind project went in. they are saying it now and they will say it when Somerset, Misery, and Big Indian wind projects go in. it is utter MADNESS what we are allowing to happen to this state. so far, what have we seen in the way of improvement? a fire truck here and there. small things. taxes havent gone down, our schools are still struggling and our roads are still absolute crap. Franklin, Somerset, and Piscataquis counties are 3 of the bottom 5 POOREST counties in Maine. at what point will we see improvement from all of these projects? when will we wake up and demand real and promised compensation if stopping these projects is futile? all the while southern new england is laughing at us. at least farmington is doing its due diligence in making sure there is money for the decommissioning of the solar farm Mr. York wants to put in. mark my word that one day we will have wind turbines standing yet not in use because “the next best thing” came along somewhere else. if theres one thing about history, it has a way of repeating itself.
Also, we really need to stop comparing this project to logging. my familys business has cut some pieces of land 2 and 3 times over the last 40 years. scalped clear cuts grow back, I’ve witnessed it. logging roads would literally grow back to forest if we stopped using them for river access, bird hunting and getting to our camps. anyone who says the new part of the corridor is in an area no one goes to anyway clearly has zero vested interest north of the Forks area. Ever been to Attean Overlook? its already been marred by wind turbines in canada and will have, in clear view, this transmission line. it is not no mans land. plenty of lots and camp owners out there who risk having their dream scarred so that those on The Cape or in The Berkshires don’t have to.
I testified in opposition, and here is a letter I sent to the PUC and DEP on the issue:
Good Morning/AfternoonXXXXX,
My name is Darryl XX. I am a Registered Maine Guide and I run a non-profit organization in Farmington Maine. I also am a fan of the big remote, and one of my truest satisfactions in life is enjoying the woods and waters of Maine, particularly the rare remaining vistas unspoiled by large structures, like windmills and powerlines. I am not alone in these passions. Even in Maine, these vistas are becoming increasingly rare. In other eastern states they may be practically non-existent. These locations are precious to those of us who love them, they are a reason people come to the region to hunt, fish, bike snowmobile, swim, hike etc. While economically valuable now, imagine in 50 or100 years what the value to the region will be to provide that experience to an increasingly developed and crowded world.
Just myself, I am impacted by this potential project in several ways. I love to snowmobile from Spring Lake to Parlin Pond and Coburn Mountain; I have property in Lexington Plantation with elevated views and my organization has a trail system in Farmington that the existing powerline already cuts through. That being said, I am less concerned with the existing line expansions than I am with the new 55 mile clear-cut and pole development in the remote regions of this proposed project.
Of course there is also the exposure (warming)to the many streams the lines will cross, the herbicide spraying that will occur in areas of native brook trout reproduction and the large area converted from woods to exfoliated land.
Aside from the scenic and economic failings of this project, it is not necessary- Maine is a net exporter of power. THERE IS NO PUBLIC NEED, which is the actual litmus test before the PUC.
So, I am writing in opposition of the proposed 145 mile CPM corridor. I truly hope the environmental impacts of this project and long range vision of the region will be taken into consideration equally to the tradeoffs and buyoffs already occurring as if this was a done deal.
Best Regards,
Well I am against it but then I’m against all overhead power delivery systems. I think there is a better way to do it that is being suppressed by vested interests. I am against it because of electromagnetic radiation which has to my knowledge not been properly addressed. I am against it because nobody here will get any reduction in the power bill. I do think wind mills are majestic engineering marvels and if it weren’t for the eco-terrorists we could tour them to see how amazing they are as if they are 21’st century pyramids. I sure wouldn’t want to live right by one tho any more than that darn chipping plant in Farm town. Damm that thing is loud and buzzes all night so as I’d better not leave my southeast windows open on a hot summers night and I live a few miles away. Point is there are two sides to every story. I sure wouldn’t like to see the chip mill shut down because a lot of folks would be out of work.
Got a little skewed off topic maybe but I doubt the Daily BULL will publish it anyway. I really dislike this rag,I do, and wouldn’t read it all if it weren’t to check to see which one of my friends just died or got themselves into a pickle. In my opinion Bulldog presents the news with a socialist left wing slant and does not allow for libertarian or a conservatism point of view. And is therefore in my humble opinion represents mainstream fake news.
Nancy Sosman, would that be the same “cash machine” effect, as all of those who have private lawsuits out against the company? The reason why you drum up public support to your cause, to privately profit off of it, all of the same.. Make sure those funds get spread around, the same as your cause claims it is the public’s voice.