Letter to the Editor: NECEC is bad for Maine

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I was one of those land owners who received a letter from CMP inviting us to a meeting about their proposed project. I left that meeting thinking that they seemed to have covered and explained everything well. After doing further research, and looking into this project in more depth, my opinion has markedly changed.

I learned of the disruptions to the many streams the line will cross and the impact it would have to the fish and wildlife. I learned of the chemical spraying that will occur in areas of brook trout reproduction. I learned of the loss of habitat that will occur to the birds and other wildlife. I saw pictures of the proposed transmission towers. Visually, they are an eyesore, and will be visible from just about every summit of nearly every peak. I learned of the silica depletion resulting from Hydro Quebec’s practices. I learned that the States of Vermont as well as New Hampshire both rejected the project due to environmental concerns. And lastly, I learned that Maine citizens would only see a benefit of less than $3 to $5 on their electric bills.

And thus … I am no longer in agreement with this project. It will FOREVER impact our region, our environment, our tourism industry, our forest products industry, and our very way of life. Please help to keep Maine the way life should be and attend the next Selectman’s meeting which is scheduled for Feb. 21.

Arleen Masselli
Farmington

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26 Comments

  1. They came to Maine only because New Hampshire rejected it and Vermont did also. Not much easier way to get to Massachusetts then thru Maine. We must not let this plan come to be.

  2. Ms, Masselli has pointed out to a few of the many adverse effects of the proposed NECES DC power line through Maine to include the loss of silica, which is critical to a healthy environment, I also wonder why CMP has minimized the fire danger of a downed power line in the north woods. If you recall Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) recently filled for Bankruptcy because of their liability (30 billion dollars) in causing fires during the past two years in California.

  3. They are not allowed to spray near water, Silica removal is just a natural side effect of anything having to do with water, Poland Springs removes silica, sewage treatment plants remove silica, I even read an anti-silica removal report that called for less hydro dams and more sewage treatment plants, which kind of shot his whole study all to hell. Wind turbines kill 328,000 birds a year, 1 bird is killed every 2 minutes by being cooked by solar farms, All the NECEC is going to do, is make them move. And the more electricity we use from hydro is less used by burning fossil fuels, isn’t that the ultimate goal? Either you want people to use “green” energy or you don’t, pick one way and stick it with it, because there is absolutely NOTHING than humans can do that won’t have some adverse effect of the planet, believe it.

  4. Please note this week’s Farmington Select Board meeting is T 2/12. Can you edit the letter? Citizens are asked to attend this week’s meeting and present public comments. FYI – CMP will present at the T 2/26 meeting.

  5. Let the people decide. Virtually everyone I have talked to is against this. “It doesn’t pass the smell test”

  6. Seems clear that we have something; CMP wants, CMP needs to make larger shareholder profits, and CMP will be able to use this as Green company PR Advertising and tax breaks. If the projected profits are removed from the equation I wonder how much this Spanish owned company will make on the back of the average tax payer with new tax brakes and clean energy incentive rewards? My question to CMP (BS aside, please) Why should we in Franklin County allow you to benefit from us? What contract based guarantees will you offer? I want to know you are willing to do more than just pay us a bribe. I want to know you will be liable for every short and long term economic and environmental cost that your project would incur… And, I want to see it in writing with the shareholders accountable for full liability of any damage caused to locals economic, environmental, and public health, for life. We have enough poisoned land and trashed post-industrial sites here in Maine that shareholders made a fortune on then left for the towns and government to pay for clean up.

  7. Hrtlss has a good point. This is a classic example of NIMBY – “Not in my back yard.” People want cleaner energy and want to combat global warming, but not if they have to look at a tower! Not if a few streams are disrupted (never mind all the disruption building roads and towns cause). I am convinced climate change is perhaps the most dangerous event to our national security and really our species in this century. This plan may not be perfect, it may have flaws, but we need clean energy, we need to do what we can to diminish the burning of fossil fuels.

  8. Respectfully Mr.Erb, the Corridor is not going to combat global warming at all.
    Do the research. Currently developing nations are beating us in the carbon emissions department.That will escalate as developing nations struggle to improve their economies. Perhaps CMP should pump their money into reducing developing countries carbon emissions and leave our environment here in Maine, alone.
    No Corridor. There’s no justification for it.

  9. I wonder why so many people were in favor of decommissioning the hydro damns that were already in our state when CMP let it happen and now we should let them use power that Canada is making with a hydro damn. If it wasn’t good enough for us before why is it ok now ? Hypocrisy. I read in a comment on another story about this and would also like to know the answer.

    Where does our new governor stand on this issue?

  10. Renewable energy is coming without cutting a swath through one of the last remaining pristine forests in the northeast. Rooftop solar, small wind, building efficiency, and more are transforming how we produce and source electricity. Massive hydro power and massive transmission lines installed with bribe money that will come right out of our own pockets through rate increases is not smart, and sells out the natural heritage of this state from future generations. I’ve lived in a lot of wrecked places and chose to live here and build my business here because you can still go for a walk in the woods without coming across 150 foot towers buzzing with 230,000 volts that line the pockets of people who don’t even live here. Next there will be roads to access the lines, and you will see continued development and degredation of the land near the corridor, drop in property values within sight of the corridor…projects like this stay forever, and they don’t shrink. They always expand.

  11. Sorry Scott but the only thing that makes this “Green” energy is the marketing name. If Mass wants true “Green” power then they need to get past the wealthy coastal land owners and put in tidal generators.The reason this doesn’t happen is because the wealthy have political power and don’t want to ruin their coastal home views. Logically, this is why they exploit “poor” folks like in Maine. What they need to do is produce the power locally wit a short line to the city so they don;t have to trash our community and loose the intent of it being “Green” power. Think about it. Produce environmentally cleaner power then trash the land to make a pathway through other States cancelling out the initial “Green” element of the source. This is about shareholders wanting money and so CMP sends in the confidence men to tell us it’s all good and we can “make a deal” to get it done. In the end it would be cheaper and greener to produce the power in Mass for Mass. This is about money not good intentions.

  12. Scott, HQ is not green, except that they will make a lot of green off Maine in this deal. As far as NIMBY goes, when you have something rare and special, you preserve it if you can. New Jersey used to be pristine. Do we want to be a cold New Jersey?

  13. Troy Hull, the poleline is its own access road, go download Google Earth and look at the number of logging roads and current logging operations already in that area, it is not pristine nor is it even remotely close to virgin old growth forest.

  14. What I hear mostly as an argument FOR this project is that “it won’t be THAT bad.” As far as I understand arguments, that’s not a very good one.. and almost everyone I bring this up with doesn’t want it. Why would they? What is the argument for it? The 258 million is coming out of our own pockets, guaranteed. CMP is no longer a Maine owned company and it’s reputation has gone down the tubes. Jobs are few and not guaranteed to even be given to Mainers. Regarding how “green” the Quebec Hydro power is:

    “The source of Quebec’s hydro is a series of dams that have flooded the Grand River watershed, a vast expanse of northern Quebec that covers the equivalent of New York state. Under the impounded water sit thousands of square miles of rotting northern spruce-fir forest, and this decay is a major source of carbon dioxide and methane, gases released from plant decomposition. Recall that methane is a very potent greenhouse gas with 30 times the potency of carbon dioxide.” -Bangor Daily News 4/25/2018

    This project also would take pressure off Massachusettes to push for more solar and produce more LOCAL green energy and start searching for real solutions to energy consumption and efficiency.

    Most of all, Mainers don’t want this project going through our land, period. Yes it’s NIMBY and for good reason.

  15. I received an email yesterday from stop the corridor campaign. Those of you that haven’t signed it please do so. Back to the email, our newly elected governor was quoted in the email sounding somewhat in favor of the corridor. She made mention of seeing electric cars and car plug in stations across our state. I pasted the quote from the email in another comment but it didn’t get put on here. I urge people to contact her office and stay vigilant woth the PUC and let them all know Maine does NOT WANT THE CORRIDOR!!!!!

  16. Before tossing the term NIMBY around, please first realize that Massachusetts uses more power than they produce inside their state lines. Let’s first see 1200+MW of wind turbines in The Berkshires and/or off the shores of Cape Cod and Marthas Vineyard before we consider some neighborly gestures…keeping in mind MA refusal to help Maine get more natural gas.

  17. Maine just elected Democrats to all levels of government. Do people really think the party of the Green New Deal is going to say no to something labeled ‘green’ regardless of whether it benefits Maine or not? They’ve got to stop climate change somehow and obviously destroying acres of wildlife habitat and then subsequently supplanting the despoiled land with alternative energy sources is the way to do it. (I just hope they don’t stop the climate from changing when it’s during a cold spell. That would suck.)

    Granted, the Republicans would have pushed it through because they like to cozy up in the pockets of big businesses, so the success of the NECEC is one of the few things that likely wouldn’t have changed regardless of which party won the state.

    Money is power, CMP has a lot of money, and our political parties have a bipartisan love for mammon. I’m afraid people are going to be in for a big disappointment.

    Cheers,
    Shamus

  18. It is amusing to read some of these posts, but actually it’s even more disconcerting. The fact that some people in Maine actually support and argue in favor of this corridor and what goes with it simply numbs my mind. Do any of the supporters (other than the people who are going to make a killing off this) understand that it’s impossible to view the longer term effects of this corridor? There are plenty of opportunities in this state to do many small-scale things to help alleviate the impact of fossil fuel use and to become ‘greener’ – which is a terrible word to use for simply becoming more efficient. There are plenty of initiatives that can be done locally, but everyone simply looks for a silver bullet that does NOT exist. I can say with quite a high level of confidence that this corridor will do NOTHING for anyone but CMP, it’s owner, and a few politicians and private citizens, janet and peter being two of those. This corridor and accompanying power line solves NOTHING and the only thing it will actually do is allow Maine to slide further down that slippery slope. No one in government seems to have imagination or a paradigm-shifting analytical mindset that could change things without this ridiculous corridor/powerline. (Or simply the lack of desire from government because getting campaign funds is more important). After a meeting with CMP Janet Mills decided to support the corridor —— I can smell something from where I am currently living and it’s a LONG WAY from Maine.

  19. Janet Mills said “WELCOME HOME” ..
    In her election speech.
    I am EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED that she is willing to SAY THAT BUT SUPPORT THIS.
    Didn’t take long for get TRUE COLORS to come out.

    Janet,,,,
    MY HOME is the beautiful natural beauty of Maine. And YOU are willing to ruin it !!

    The WASHINGTON DC SWAMP says “WELCOME HOME”..
    to the likes of you, Angus and all the other SELLOUTS.
    THAT’S WHERE YOU BELONG.

  20. Funny how almost every time, it’s the conservatives who are for….real conservation…and the D’s get us engaged in these boondoggles, such as useless wind power, and now NCEC that the state DOES NOT WANT. I sense there is a LOT of money involved…all the things y’all accused everyone from Bush to Trump of being involved it.

    Will the Maine Dem’s show us that, now that they have control, they won’t listen to the citizens of the state on this issue, and others such as gun control? I predict they’ll be out in 18 months, now that we have gotten a GOOD taste of what they’re like when they’re allowed to run free.

    Very educational, eh voters?

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