AUGUSTA Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced Monday, Feb. 22 certification of the citizens initiative effort An Act To Require Legislative Approval of Certain Transmission Lines, Require Legislative Approval of Certain Transmission Lines and Facilities and Other Projects on Public Reserved Lands and Prohibit the Construction of Certain Transmission Lines in the Upper Kennebec Region is complete.
The effort, according to Secretary Bellows, has enough valid signatures to move forward.
The proponents of this legislation submitted 25,058 petitions with 95,622 signatures January 21 to the Elections Division.
The Elections Division of the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions has completed the process of certifying the petitions and found 80,506 valid signatures, while 15,116 were not valid, according to a news release. A minimum of 63,067 signatures from registered Maine voters was required.
Controversial power line caught up in high-stakes power struggle
Central Maine Power is racing to build its New England Clean Energy Connect corridor as foes continue to throw up legal obstacles.
Share
Logging crews have begun clearing trees to widen the existing Central Maine Power transmission corridor near Moxie Pond in The Forks. Photo courtesy of Susannah Warner
Driving home along Moxie Pond on the Troutdale Road in The Forks, Denise Rancourt can see the loaders, excavators and harvesters in the adjacent forest, cutting and limbing trees.
Crews had cleared three or so miles on the side of the existing Central Maine Power transmission line as of last week, she estimated.
AUGUSTA Organizers of the effort to halt the Central Maine Power corridor announced Thursday afternoon they have collected more than 100,000 signatures in less than three months.
Sandi Howard, leader of the No CMP Corridor PAC, Thomas Saviello, a former state legislator, and Darryl Wood, an activist from New Sharon delivered Thursday over 100,000 signatures to Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
“These signatures reflect a successful citizens’ signature collection effort that overcame challenges posed by winter weather and Covid 19 protocols, ensuring that voters will be able to have the final say on CMP’s unpopular NECEC Corridor later this year,” a press release stated.