Letter to the Editor: On Wilton’s transmission line ordinance

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This week the town of Wilton passed a new ordinance to protect our natural resources from major transmission line projects like CMP’s NECEC corridor. At the meeting, CMP’s fancy lawyer requested to speak, and my fellow citizens joined together to block her. We have heard more than enough from this foreign corporation.

It seemed like divine justice that, just a week after blocking the voice of the people of Maine this November, the Wilton community shot back. I am So proud of my community.

I think I speak for us all when I say, I’m sick and tired of CMP and their non-stop propaganda. Nobody trusts them, barely anyone supports their for-profit venture with Hydro-Quebec, and frankly, they aren’t welcome here anymore.

Nancy Prince
Wilton

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22 Comments

  1. A “HEARTY AMEN” to that.!!

    Funny how a company called Central “Maine” Power and Governor from Farmjngton have given a whiole new meaning to the term “FROM AWAY”..

    Everything Is Beautiful.

  2. It is great that Wilton is trying to take steps to protect their town, but this has happened in other parts of the country and has shown that corporations hold all the cards. A common example…towns have fought to keep fracking companies out of their towns for fear it will pollute the water supply. After a fracking corporation received full approval from the State, to fight that, a town would pass an ordinance to let’s say…ban fracking within their town’s territory. Well, the corporation then sues the town because the ordinance infringes on their corporate rights under the constitution. Also, and what is probably true in Maine too, a town cannot have an ordinance that contradicts a State (or Federal) law. If the State laws and permitting process allows the transmission line, then a town cannot have an ordinance that will not allow it or require that the transmission company do anything additional to what the State required. And because the corporation has received State approval for the project, the State will come to the defense of the corporation against the town. Check out Thomas Linzey on the internet including Youtube. His law firm has been defending small towns against corporations for years and was involved with the legal case that arose with this same Massachusetts energy project (Northern Pass) against a town in NH that opposed it. It will be interesting to see what happens next with Wilton’s ordinance.

  3. So…They deny her of the freedom of speech in an open meeting, and you applaud them for doing so, and then you post an Op-Ed to the Bulldog using your first amendment rights to free speech and the press, but you don’t think everyone should be afforded those same rights because you don’t like what they have to say. And no Nancy, you don’t speak for us all, you speak for yourself and nobody else.

  4. Meetings like this are the backbone of small D democracy, especially in New England. At least, that’s the message when it suits the messenger.

    This letter represents very well the rot of cancel culture running rampant everywhere now in our country. I don’t like what that fellow says, so it’s not enough to listen and respond, he must be silenced – perhaps by a government jackboot on his neck.

  5. HB
    So,,, because you funny agree with Nancy you claim she duals for NOBODY Huh??
    That’s special thinking HB.
    Pretty sure you stepped in it with that comment.

    Everything Is Beautiful.

  6. Lindy I’m not sure how that works in Maine. I do know the town of Industry passed an ordinance some years ago that blocks wind mills after a wind farm was being proposed to cover the New Vineyard mountain range. It makes it so unless you are a certain distance from your neighbors house, property line you can’t have wind power generation not even for private use. I applaud my town for doing this and I applaud the people of a Wilton for their ordinance. I would encourage people to watch closely how this is dealt with and vote accordingly when the time comes.

  7. The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) has assisted more than a dozen communities in New England to adopt the rights-based local laws that “Lindy” refers to here. I led the rights-based local lawmaking effort in my own rural NH community in 2014 and have been working with CELDF since 2015 to assist other communities as well. I’m happy to support and assist the communities of Maine with rights-based organizing and lawmaking. You can contact me at michelle@celdf.org

  8. Behind the opposition is a corporate effort. It was launched by those energy providers who would prefer to keep the profits at stake in this project for themselves. These petroleum interests were not satisfied with the increases they received when Patriot Nuclear was closed last June so they attempt to block this project by funding those who will gladly spread misinformation in an attempt to hijack it. Take notice of the tactics employed and you will see a distinct similarity between them and a certain political movement you should be very familiar with by now.

  9. To Administrator…not sure if this comment got through to you before or got deleted when I pushed the wrong button. Here it is again if it didn’t make it to you the first time.

    Mr. Linzey…Thank you to you and your firm for all you have done to help towns fight corporations pushing into communities. I hope some of the towns directly affected by the NECEC will get in contact with you. We have all been following the script that the process laid out which, as you know, keeps all the opposition to the project under tight control and favors industry. Not sure what we can do next to fight this thing especially since the Maine Supreme Court squelched the people’s referendum.

  10. Pseudo-Environmentalism

    This movement has arisen in response to our efforts to reduce fossil fuels consumption. It is famous for saying things like, “wind turbines are killing all the birds” or “those transmission lines will destroy our scenery”. These arguments encourage the individual to put alternative energy projects under a microscope where impacts that are of little consequence to the big picture become unacceptable.

    The fossil fuels industry has slowed the movement to alternative energy by funding influence campaigns like this for years. It works by injecting doubt into the minds of those who will listen. This effort is no different than the one that attempted to inject doubt by suggesting that Climate Scientists had falsified evidence of Climate Change.

    If they’ve convinced you that it’s better to silence one party by yelling than it is to allow them to speak then you’ve become part of the problem. Had those town officials actually been serving the public they would have made sure that all parties present were heard. That is the democratic process.

  11. Hrtlss,

    CMP has had ample time to speak. They have sent in their spokespersons and they have stood up and told their half truths and lies to multiple people in multiple towns, all along the proposed Corridor route. Those same people have already told CMP no, some more than once.

    The citizens of this state then gather over 66,000 signatures to put a referendum on the ballot so the citizens of this state could speak from the voting booth on the CMP Corridor.

    Then CMP sends out one of their retired own to sue the Secretary of State to take away the right of Maine’s citizens to vote on their unpopular project. CMP was told no twice, and then succeeded after AVANGRID, CMP’s parent company, took it to the Maine Supreme Court.

    Now, CMP has had no problem making back room deals, courting officials at the government and town level, and sending in their lobbyists too try and defeat bills like LD-640. And CMP and their PAC have had absolutely no problem in spending over 17 million too push their Corridor through our state, even though almost every town along the route has said no and thousands of others have voiced their opposition.

    I’m pretty sure that CMP is also aware that quite a few Mainers are not exactly tickled pink with them, their spokespersons, nor lawyers, after all they have done. Asking their lawyer to remain silent was rather polite of the
    Wilton town folks, considering all that has happened to date. I’ve been to some pretty heated meetings. No sense in stirring the pot.

    And finally Hrtlss, if none of this makes sense to you, l’m sure you know what they say about karma….
    Just apply that to the situation.

    Thanks Wilton. You gave us a voice. It’s much appreciated.

  12. jay
    I’m not a corporate anything and have no financial skin in the energy game one way or another (except to pay my bill).
    BUT I AM OPPOSED TO THE FOREIGN COMPANIES RUNNING OUR STATE.
    I can’t wait to vote for anybody except Janet Mills.
    I know LePage “might” have supported this transmission line too but that’s a guess.. and Janet screwed us is reality.

    I guess I won’t lose any sleep over the stupid line coming thru so all in all its been just fun to annoy the idiots who swallow this crap hook line and STINKER.

    To a Real Mainer,
    Everything Is Beautiful.

  13. Block free speech from the opposition; is there a better way for a town to show its ignorance?

  14. At a town meeting, residents vote when a non-resident requests to speak. If the residents vote “no”, is this an infringement of free speech?

    FYI, the Warrant Article which the CMP lawyer and her cohort were there for was not about them, but an amendment to the Wilton Zoning Ordinance concerning Energy/Transportation Conduits, including highways, etc. It contains the non-use of herbicides, protection of the drinking water area and more.

    I can not say now for sure, but I believe the lawyer(s) were voted down unanimously. Among other reasons, I think this is because most people have heard from them and time is precious at a town meeting.

    That said, I am proud of Wilton too, for the many ways in which we care and listen to all sides, as was evident at the Town Meeting in praise of the police force, and a thoughtful debate on a different issue about exploding targets where all sides were heard.

  15. moderator, please all to my above if possible:

    I was also proud that the Wilton Board stepped up to give funding to SeniorsPlus and Western Maine Transportation, noting in both cases that they should be funded at the County level.

  16. I’m sorry, but this “foreign corporation” argument is nonsense. If you feel that strongly about foreign corporations doing business in Maine, stop shopping at Hannaford (Delhaize: Brussels, Belgium), stop drinking Poland Spring Water (Nestle: Paris, France), stop eating Backyard Farm Tomatoes (Mastronardi: Ontario, Canada)… and the long list goes on. The fact is, we live in a global economy and these foreign corporations pay millions in taxes, employ thousands of Mainers and otherwise make positive impacts in the communities they serve. I’m not going to argue with you that CMP is perfect — far from it — but the fact that they’re foreign owned is irrelevant.

  17. There’s just something GRAND about listening to a bully whine and cry about not getting their way….

    Pass them a tissue
    Pass us the Popcorn.
    This is fun!!

    Everything Is Beautiful.

  18. @Nancy Prince
    Interesting Letter to the Editor. You state, “and frankly, they, (CMP), aren’t welcome here anymore.” Just curious in lieu of that statement, have you scheduled CMP to come remove your electric meter? Is the electronic device you used to construct this Letter to the Editor powered or charged up with solar, wind, or CMP? Sincerely just asking…

    *Disclaimer* These questions asked using a CMP powered device.

  19. Wiltons vote for out of towners to speak is the same as the school district vote. People not from the towns in the district can’t vote or speak at the referendum meeting. They show up they just have to sit there and be quiet. A foreign business should not be able to be involved in town ordinances.

  20. Thank you Jim Ellis. I thought everyone who reads the Bulldog has a complete lack of understanding of our economic system. Now there’s two of us who have a clue.

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