Letter to the Editor: Say no to NECEC

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I support, 100 percent, the Say NO To NECEC. I consider myself blessed that in 1976 I settled in the wonderful community of Farmington, Maine, and I was promptly hired and welcomed at Franklin Memorial Hospital where I remained on staff as a Registered Nurse for 37 years.

Over 35 years ago, I was invited by a dear friend to visit and stay at a magical place called Bulldog Camps on Lake Enchanted, in Somerset County in the North Western Maine forestland. The area literally took my breath away. I was in awe…to me I had indeed entered “God’s Country” and I was experiencing “Mother-Nature,” at her BEST! An annual tradition of visiting Bulldog had begun. During our many Bulldog stays through the years we hiked approximately 1 1/2 miles down a very rough, boulder strewn trail down into Bulldog Camps (no road in years ago, folks!) we “bush-whacked” (no trail!) up Shutdown Mountain, we hiked an extremely rugged 3 mile trail from Bulldog Camps on Lake Enchanted up to Little Enchanted (carrying fishing gear!) saw moose, loons, and other wildlife and varied plant life wilderness settings, picked hundreds and hundreds of Maine wild blueberries, and tucked away caves in the area were explored.

So, the tradition to get away into the wilderness at Bulldog has trickled down through my family. Both of my children and my 5 grandchildren have made it a very special custom to visit Bulldog. In the Lake Enchanted area you can breathe in the true beauty of the wilderness forest, enjoy the EXTREMELY CRYSTAL CLEAR water of Lake Enchanted, and pause at night to take in the truly amazing scene of the stars in the night sky literally surrounding you!

The proposed CMP Corridor will indeed cause destruction to the Maine North-Western forestland and mountains. The individuals that back the proposed Corridor have “blinders” on, refusing to see and admit the harm and devastation that will occur! Not only will there be a path the width of the New Jersey Turnpike, huge, (humming), metal towers seen from far and wide, the corridor path treated with sprays which will seep into the soil and erode into streams, the crystal clear lakes, harming fish, (including Native Maine Trout), plant, animal and bird life…but..the chopped up and rutted forest to make roads to accommodate placing the towers will change the current forestland for a very long time, perhaps forever! The logging that has been done in the area is done by registered loggers and is done to maintain the integrity and regrowth of the forest!) And so…. surrounding land & real estate values will drop, the Tourist Industry in that area will definitely be affected and the recreational job market in the area will suffer and MOST IMPORTANT: future generations would not be able to travel in that area to take in the beautiful, awe-inspiring wild forests and mountains that we currently are able to visit and find PEACE as we view the beauty and magnificence. I suspect that many of the Corridor supporters have never ventured into the Maine North-West area…they are totally missing the point of MOTHER NATURE PROVIDING HER VERY BEST!

The Say NO To NECEC Group has petitions that request that the following question be put on the November 2020 Ballot: To Reject the New England Clean Energy Connect Transmission Project. We have had an enormous response with Maine Registered Voters signing the petitions throughout Maine! A petition to sign is available in Farmington, Maine at: The Mercantile Shop, 133 Broadway St., (207) 860-2828.

We Thank You for your support of: Say NO To NECEC!

Wendy Huish
Farmington, Maine

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26 Comments

  1. The Left pushes global warming, and the need for alternative energy, constantly. Even tho Maine is just about carbon-neutral already, and the US overall is in FINE shape, emission-wise. MANY of the people against the corridor are Liberal Lefties, suffering from NIMBY (and TDS), after having pushed us to this point. You built this.

    This is what the Democrats created – THIS is alternative energy, without the scare of nuclear power and all that. Just like blowing the tops off of our mountains…progress requires some sacrifice. Didn’t hear you guys cry over that, because is far less visible. Oh well; MA must have this clean energy to stop emissions. Do your part!

    Mills & Co. want to enter us into the TCI, raise the gas tax 17 cents/gallon, tax heating oil, raise property taxes til we break, tax tax tax, horribly hurting poor and elderly people…this is simply part of it, the entire “plan” for combating “climate change”. You guys brought it to us – maybe we should just go all the way and go Green! No? SMALL price to pay for a world that is DYING, right? This is EXISTENTIAL. You just can’t SEE those poor, those elderly, so THAT part is ok. It’s painfully clear what’s really going on…NIMBY but everyone ELSE should ‘do something’.

    Enjoy your corridor.

  2. Another poster that can not formulate a argument with out sprinkling fox news buzz words “liberally” through out and pushing political bias that serves no purpose in the conversation. This is about Maine, not which political party you identify with.

    I miss the days when adults could converse and discuss issues with out all this nonsense that has appeared in the last couple of years, I hope we can get back to that place sooner rather than later.

  3. Thank you Wendy. I second you Jon about the political bias. I “identify” as a Republican, and a majority of the people whom I know personally that are against the Corridor are…..wait….Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, Gay, Straight, Wealthy, Poor, Green, Yellow, Brown, Old, Young, Tall and Short. The bottom line for many of us is that we are Mainers who just don’t believe that it will bring anything good to our Beautiful Maine Wilderness. Who cares what side of the fence we like.

  4. Jon Snow, There have been many good discussions on this site over the NECEC, As for Trump Derangement Syndrome, Fox News didn’t start that, a psychiatrist named Charles Krauthammer who was actually critical of republican politicians coined the term Bush Derangement Syndrome during George W’s tenure as president. “The acute onset of paranoia in reaction to the policies, the presidency—nay—the very existence of George W. Bush”(paraphrased) And some comedienne just swapped out Bush for Trump, and the term stuck. And green energy, renewable energy, and climate change are very much political debates, especially when state and federal government is involved in pushing the agenda.

    Warming is right, it is strictly a NIMBY thing with the Antis, most Antis, even those who post on this site, all say the same things, “Why can’t the line run through NH or VT?” is the one most often used, which means they support a line, just not in Maine. I bet some of these same people support the use of charging stations for electric vehicles, the current grid won’t support many of them, so upgrades are necessary, the NECEC includes upgrades to existing lines and substations and puts more electricity into the grid to power these things, unless of course you prefer the brownouts and rolling blackouts that CA experiences daily because they can’t upgrade their infrastructure fast enough to keep up with demand, people complain now if a storm knocks the power out for a few hours or a day.

  5. Argument? Don’t need one. I made a statement; it wasn’t meant for debate…it is opinion. The Left is absolutely mental about “climate change”. The Right are “climate denier Nazis”. I didn’t get that from Fox, I got it from CNN, Greta (a god, last week) and I got it from your political leadership. Are they not adults, as well? Greta might like the hydro power, no? GLOBAL climate trumps ‘maine wilderness’ (last logged 50 years ago, ha ha).

    You wanted clean energy…this IS clean energy. I’m enjoying seeing people freak out when they get exactly what they demanded. It’s refreshing, actually, to see people upset that what they backed (clean, no carbon energy that we really don’t need, pushed by the Democrat Socialist governor) has now come to fruition.

    I think that (again, opinion, not framing an argument) you will have a LOT more of this kind of ‘idea meets reality’ in the coming months and years, as you make these society-changing decisions that sound SO nice and perfect in discussion…but when put into practice, suddenly seem a little less shiny and fuzzy-feely. Like the people who watched the mountains get blown up, and have those ugly inefficient turbines in their faces…what sounds good in planning, which you will happily force on your neighbors (since mostly YOU don’t see or feel it) – you might come to find you can’t STAND if it’s in YOUR town or household. TCI stuff, taxes on gas and heating oil, perhaps eliminating wood stoves, and a whole lot more. Many of ‘you’ demanded it, so now you get to PAY for it. No “NIMBY”.

    You really don’t get it, do you?

  6. Thank you Wendy, very well stated and one of the many reasons people of all ilks and political persuasions are against the CMP corridor. Another, of course, is that it will not reduce green house gasses at all, despite the Nazi (CMP) propaganda filling our airwaves.

  7. ” God’s Country” is being seriously eyed for an onslaught of wind turbines with only one thing in the way, the NECEC project.
    Among the many bids solicited to Massachusetts using the same corridor was an offer to erect wind turbines adjacent to the corridor. Massachusetts’ hunger for clean energy won’t go away if NECEC goes away, it just moves on to the next proposed bid.  
    “Stop The Corridor”  will have to morph into an anti-wind coalition and engage in a fight against a Maine Legislature that invented laws to bring 3000 plus megawatts of wind power into Maine, not to mention NextEra, the vaunted financier of the Stop the Corridor group.

  8. Thank you for writing this, Wendy.
    Thank you Darryl, for the reminder that the corridor doesn’t reduce gasses at all. It only makes more money for the company. And to all posters who agree this is not a polically based issue, but about all Mainers together.
    It is a mystery why the idea persists that Maine gets anything, including energy, from the project.
    Hrtlss Bstrd, is it possible you are recalling statements that said, if NH and VT will not allow the corridor, neither should Maine? Some also added that the other states were offered better deals, too, but I don’t recall any which made a NIMBY pro corridor pitch as long as it was somewhere else.

  9. It is really amazing to see all of the politically-oriented responses and I have to ask why. The salient issues with the NECEC are: (1) there has been NO EIS required and for a project of this size with 243 wetland crossings and 115 stream crossings an EIS should be ‘standard procedure’; (2) the HQ source is NOT clean and is NOT a new source. They already have routes to MA and New England, this is simply another route proposed so that HQ can further maximize its profits; (3) the industry standard for an HVDC line is to bury it, which is what VT and NH proposed (and why NECEC opponents suggest these two states, with already approved permits and are ready to go); (4) HVDC lines are the ones that caused the CA fires and these generally do not even have a coating, the static electricity created by electron flow ‘guards’ and insulates the lines. This line, strung through wooded areas, is a disaster waiting to happen; (5) there have been NO alternate routes proposed by cmp even though at least 2 others exist.

    Overall, I might suggest that instead of this being characterized as a NIMBY problem perpetrated by LIBERALS perhaps it’s more a matter of resisting the constant barrage of corporations strong arming development through obvious corruption and the likely pay-offs (read campaign contributions). The “Say No to NECEC” group is made of people with a huge variation of political ideologies and yet all of us see the obvious flaws and problems with this NECEC. What I don’t understand is the resistance from people who seem rather astute but would rather call people like me LIBERAL NIMBYs instead of really looking at the facts and all of the underlying intrigue. My conclusion is that many just get a kick out of being against most anything and really don’t care about real issues. Perhaps you are simply tired of all of the crap that goes on daily. As a natural resource practitioner with 50 years of experience in environmental dynamics I simply cannot imagine not demanding an EIS for this project and this is where the rub comes for me and others. I also suppose that some of you don’t have a problem with a corporate conglomerate like Iberdrola (a Spanish company with a horrible record) owning our power company and dictating how it operates? And here we have cmp that was recently listed as the WORST company for service in the US. They even were rated lower than PG&E, which was responsible for the CA fires. So, I am drafting a QB to lead my team to a Super Bowl and I draft the WORST QB I can find to do that job. Smart move.

  10. Ozerki, There have been several EIS done, they are required for the permits, they were completed in 2017, 2018 and the last one was submitted a week ago when the MPUC signed off. The Army Corps of Engineers, had requested another one when CMP decided to go under the Kennebec rather than over it.

    CA is a tinder box, Maine is not., and nobody buries their long HVDC lines because of a plethora of reasons the one of the biggest is, capacitance, the closer to the ground and other wires an HVDC is, the more juice is required to get usable amounts of electricity because it keeps arcing into the ground, so distance is a factor, usually 20 miles before it needs a substation, 20 more miles and another substation, 20 more miles and another substation, so a 145 mile line would need 8 substations where as now it needs 2, both of which are already built but need to be upgraded.

    Another reason is line charge, take the positive clamp of a set of jumper cables, hook one end on to the positive terminal of the live battery, that line is now charged with what is called line charging current, when you put the other end on the positive of a dead battery nothing happens, except your engine drops a few revs. But take that same line charged with 13.5 volts and clamp it onto something else that is putting out 13.5 volts and it is going to overcharge something and blow it up. it is also why when you boost your car you always hook the booster cables to the live battery first and then the dead one, so there is little to no line charging current going into the cable to allow as much current from the good battery as possible otherwise it creates an inline resistance and limits the flow of good electricity. Electricity flows from both ends, if Canada sends 1200mw down the line, the power flowing up the line(line charging current) from the grid has to be less than 1200mw, like a lot less, otherwise the electricity from Canada may be 800mw by the time it reaches Lewiston, that’s not good, but if an overhead line allows for 1100mw when it gets to Lewiston, that is probably within acceptable amounts of loss.

  11. Gov. Mills recently stated her continued support for the CMP corridor. This is puzzling in light of the fact that the ‘green’ label some (including CMP) placed on the corridor remains highly controversial. At this point in time, I don’t know of any environmental group that supports the project. It was recently reported that the two groups that were once considered in support requested that their names be removed from CMP’s website which had them listed as project advocates. So now, along with there being no support for the corridor from any environmental group, there are all the official declarations of non-support from 25 towns that will be directly impacted by the transmission line, the Franklin County Commissioners, and in the last couple of days…the Androscoggin County Commissioners too. How can the governor consider all of that not to be highly significant?

  12. HB, sorry but you are absolutely wrong. There has NEVER BEEN AN EIS performed on the NECEC. What possibly was performed was an EIA (which I doubt as well), which is completely different from and EIS. An EIA is comparable to an abstract while an EIS is the entire scientific publication. The ACOE meeting in Lewiston on Dec 5, 2019, made it clear that there was NEVER an EIS done. Please provide me with some substantiation if you really know that one has been done and who did it. Would be interesting.

    No, industry standards call for HVDC cable to be buried. There are only 2 examples of HVDC above ground cables CA and a site in Nova Scotia – where it then goes under water. This past spring when the DEP held hearings at UMF an expert on HVDC installations testified essentially it was crazy to have above ground HVDC. This guy WORKS in that sphere and said that under oath. So, whatever your argument is regarding how capacitance works and the requirement for substations does not meet with an expert in that field, unless you are too. Perhaps you are, but I have my doubts.

    You have obviously been in the woods in July here in Maine, speaking of tinder boxes. You really want to chance that? I certainly do NOT. Your move.

  13. One quick point that I see a few people making time and time again. Some make the assumption that it is all or even mostly left wing (tree huggers, Greenies or whatever) that are against this proposal. That assumption is the basis of most of their argument and it is entirely wrong. The poll done last year had a higher percentage of both Republicans and Independents than Democrats AGAINST this project. The SAY NO to NECEC group is very much bipartisan. We are working together on a common goal. Beyond that, our views vary as much as our society’s does.

  14. well said, Wendy. We have experienced the beauty and wilderness of Enchanted Pond, and of so many other areas that are slated to be ruined by Iberdrola. I am a born and raised Mainer, have lived here all my 57 years, but have traveled enough to know that I pray this corridor doesn’t come through. Yes, it will destroy the very reason I choose to stay in Maine, mainly its natural environment. It sure isn’t because of the money we choose to stay here, and we all know this is a project that will hurt, not help, Mainers. There is so much money riding on this for the interests that want it to happen that I will be so surprised if we can stop it…. happy as heck but man, money talks!!
    as an aside, why are the supporters of this not giving their names, not much from around here ???

  15. Clayton,

    Please take a moment and research CMP’s parent company, lberdola.
    The Spanish corporation deals in a very high percentage of wind power. It’s a big money maker for them and their stockholders.

    I asked Thorn Dickinson, a spokesperson for AVANGRID, another corporation under Iberdola’s wing, and a parent company of CMP, if he could guarantee that wind turbines would not somehow factor into the NECEC grid at a later date, especially along the new 53 mile swath they plan to clear cut in our North woods. His reply was that there was no wind turbine project planned within the next ten years but he couldn’t guarantee a wind turbine free view shed after that. After all, all that multi billion dollar company would have to do is upgrade the NECEC grid, if the NECEC materializes.

    Wendy, thanks for all the hard work you’ve done and still do, in fighting the construction of the NECEC. You’re a prime example of a Say No to the NECEC volunteer. You are much appreciated.

  16. I am writing to express appreciation to the individuals that commented above with their support of & thanks for the Say NO To NECEC effort. I am only one Volunteer member of the vast-extensive VOLUNTEER Group that includes individuals of all adult ages, genders, political & religious beliefs and affiliations,and varied educational, professional & economical standing. Included in our VOLUNTEERS are: Top-Level VOLUNTEERS that are our Spokes-Persons that have done an amazing job being steadfast in promoting our MISSION OF DEFEATING THE CMP CORRIDOR, and they have consistently supplied emotional & educational support to ALL the Volunteers. The, “behind -the-scenes,” Administrative Staff, likewise, have never failed to offer guidance & support to the Volunteers, for which we are most grateful. Lastly: The faithful, everyday VOLUNTEERS: forever positive, gathering petition signatures all over the state of Maine, since the very beginning of November 2019, frequently outside in the ALL weather: windy & bitter cold, rain, sleet, ice, & snow. Add to the faithful VOLUNTEERS: those working in the Farmington Say NO office: preparing completed petitions for mailing to the various Town Offices for Voter verification & VOLUNTEERS driving petitions to nearby Town Offices. Lastly, the Group has been blessed to have a Team of VOLUNTEER Notaries that have consistently volunteered to provide, “Notary-Events,” so VOLUNTEERS can have their signed petitions notarized.
    Another note: The STRONG desire of the Maine People to DEFEAT the CMP CORRIDOR through Maine is not limited to Franklin-Somerset & surrounding county areas. With the past few days, I gathered petition signatures at an event in Augusta. Some of the Maine Registered Voters that signed our petition were from the following Maine Towns: Ellsworth, Fairfield, Gorham, Chelsea, Carmel, Hebron, Levant, Hampden, Norridowock, New Gloucester, Lisbon, Hudson, Lewiston, Montville, Parsonsfield, Owls head, South paris, Saco, Sidney, Oxford, Standish, Piston, Rome, Oakland, Old Orchard Beach, Wales, Wiscasset, Whitfield, Woodstock, Windham, Woolwich, Washington, Winthrop, Werst Gardiner, Baileyville, Auburn, Dresden, Poland, and Richmond!
    If you would like to sign our petition to put the question of the CMP Corridor on the November 2020 Maine Ballot, there is still time! A petition to sign is available locally, in Farmington, at: The Mercantile Shop…..133 Broadway Street……(207) 860-2828
    Thank You, Wendy A. Huish

  17. HB,
    There are only a few HVDC lines on this planet. Saying nobody buries them…..to early to make a determination really. NIMBY? Do you need me to answer the question for you again? I will. NO. You would not personally and willingly take the hit to your personal wealth/property without saying NO yourself. So please discontinue knocking the hundreds if not thousands of Mainahs whose property values will be impacted by this, and subsequent lines, that CMP wishes to run across Maine. For many their home is one of the largest investments they have. They should definitely lose value to make sure CMP/Avangrid/Iberdrola/Qataris have more money. NOT!

    Remember, Maine is a net exporter of power. That means we generate more power than we consume. So all of the future lines CMP wants to run across Maine are for MA, RI, and CT. and for CMP’s profit. We do not need them.

    Diagram my sentences and critique my punctuation if you must. I won’t critique yours.

    Jamie Enman,
    100000%. Nobody wants this line and they are from every spectrum. Right on!

  18. HB, I have been waiting a few days for a response from you but none comes. I think it’s interesting that you make these bold, yet incorrect statements and then don’t have the grace to admit that you are wrong. You make an absolute statement that more than one EIS has already been done on the NECEC, providing NO evidence, and then when called out for being wrong you simply fade into the woodwork. And for the remainder of the people on this thread who choose to characterize me and others who are opponents of the NECEC as liberal NIMBYs, it’s a small-minded approach to a serious situation. You are certainly entitled to your own opinion(s) but having an opinion that is limited to name calling and stereotyping with no evidence whatsoever is vastly different from having a legitimate discussion based on factual information and differing interpretations of said information. I stated the facts above and Theresa stated her fact-based opinion. Feel free to comment if you actually have a take that is more than an insult.

  19. Ozerki, Be patient, I do have a life that does require my attention from time to time, and I am also waiting to be contacted by several people in regards to the EIS reports, I can’t force people to respond in a timely fashion in keeping to your timetable and need for punctuality. I wait and so too must you.

  20. Should I wait for a response from HB or just venture a wild guess what his “sources” will say???

    The suspense is hard to bear.

  21. HB,
    Spend your time up front making sure what you share is correct. It will save you time going back to your sources…and a bit of embarrassment. Also on the HVDC line from Quebec to Lewiston, there are not substations every twenty miles. You truly need to do your homework!

  22. From the time CMP proposed the NECEC project (before 2016) through today there is NO EIS on the record. Just thought that I would save you the time and waiting. When people make absolute comments and are wrong it ruins the credibility of that person for making statements in the future.

  23. People on both sides of this debate are spewing crap. Do some real research and stop listening to the propaganda from the side you have chosen. And Wendy, enough of your ‘all caps’. It intimidates no one, only makes you look foolish!

  24. captain,
    not sure accusing wendy of trying to intimidate anyone does much for one’s credibility either.
    she is well known..
    and then we have “your” reputation for rudeness that we understand you are proud of…

  25. Ozerki, Here is what I have found in regards to EIS and EIA, both of which are required by the permitting process, whether good or bad.
    Winter Recreation Impact Survey
    Indian Pond Project
    Reardon Tributary Bass Study
    Study for Fisheries Enhancements
    Cold Stream and Enchanted Stream Restoration site
    Pine Marten Habitat study
    As well as several VIS reports and opinions of several independent and state agencies, as has several documents from CMP describing and visualizing the effects their project will have on the environment
    All have been submitted into evidence of environmental impact.

    I did finally hear back from USACE, the response,

    While many environmental factors come into account be it visual, physical, or economical, We will conduct an EIA to determine if an EIS is required by us. We are not yet at the point to finalizing an EIA for this project as there are still a number of procedural elements to our review that must be concluded.

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