Four Things to Know About the November 2nd Ballot on the CMP Corridor
The CMP Corridor is a proposed 145-mile transmission line that would connect hydroelectric dams in Canada with customers in Massachusetts. The $1 billion project will supply enough electricity to power over a million homes and Maine has approved the current plan for 20 years.
But the power line will cross a small patch of Maine public land. That is the primary reason the Corridor is on November’s ballot.
Will the Project Benefit Mainers?
The primary point of contention is over whether the project will really benefit Mainers or if Hydro-Quebec (CMP’s parent company) is exploiting Maine’s resources to get their electricity to Massachusetts customers who are willing to pay more for clean energy.
Proponents of the project claim that the Corridor would provide good jobs for Mainers and boost the state’s economy. Those against it point out that those jobs would end as soon as construction is complete but the damage to large swaths of Maine’s northern woods would remain
Depending on the news source, the destruction in the Northern woods could be devastating to local species and the logging industry or minimal as the corridor goes through areas where trees are already cut regularly. But clear cutting a several-hundred-foot-wide strip, along with the roads made to get equipment there, is much more extreme than logging and forest management.
The project will yield some benefits for Maine’s electrical grid. The project did not originally include plans to provide Maine with electricity but the governor struck a deal last year that will save each Maine family an average of $116 annually on utilities supplied by CMP. If some cheaper electricity and temporary jobs is enough to offset the losses caused by the clearcutting, the project may make economic sense for Maine.
Why has it taken so long to come to a vote?
The effort to get the CMP issue on the ballot has been fraught with lawsuits and legislative battles which were further complicated by the change in administration.
A question on whether or not to stop construction of the powerline was slated to be on last November’s ballot. Three months before the 2020 vote, Maine’s Supreme Court ruled the referendum unconstitutional because it would violate the separation of powers. Because the powerline had already been approved by the governor, a decision by voters to reject it would result in the legislative branch (voters) overturning the decision of the executive branch (the governor).
A change in governors also complicated getting the question on the ballot. Gov. Mill’s predecessor, Gov. LePage, was very supportive of the CMP Corridor and readily leased the company a key one-mile stretch of public land for the project. Gov. Mills continued the lease but raised the annual fee from $4,000 to $65,000 annually–still a pittance when compared to the total price tag of the project.
Maine’s constitution gives the Legislature sole power to grant leases that would significantly alter land use. This is at the core of November’s ballot question and, if approved, the referendum would support a Maine Supreme Court decision made last year to require a two-thirds legislative vote for leasing public land.
How will the issue appear on this November’s ballot?
After a two year delay, the question will finally be on next month’s ballot.
The question will read: “Do you want to ban the construction of high-impact electric transmission lines in the Upper Kennebec Region and to require the Legislature to approve all other such projects anywhere in Maine, both retroactively to 2020, and to require the Legislature, retroactively to 2014, to approve by a two-thirds vote such projects using public land?”
While the phrasing is confusing, the question can basically be broken down into two parts: Should the Corridor should be stopped and should future projects and public land leasing require enthusiastic approval from the Legislature.
The retroactive portion was added because the public land CMP is using was leased in 2014 for 20 years. A “yes” vote would ditch the lease and only allow it to be reinstated with Legislative approval.
I’ve seen photos of the powerlines. Has the project already begun?
Yes, it has. This is problematic because even if Mainers vote to stop the corridor, CMP can petition courts to allow it to continue work where it has “invested money in good faith.” Both the current and previous Maine administrations entered negotiation with CMP without consulting the Legislature. Unfortunately, the agreements the state drew up with CMP give the company good ground from which to petition the courts post-referendum.
While CMP would likely take the issue to court again, with the support of the state’s residents, judges are more likely to be swayed to reject attempts to go around the new laws.
The decision now lies in the hands of voters. Educate yourselves and make a voting plan!
Voter Resources:
Registering to vote? https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/voter-info/voterguide.html?ref=voteusa
Requesting an absentee ballot: https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/voter-info/absent.html