Amy Partridge-Barber: Weighing NECEC vs. TDI-NE

While the rest of us are busy putting hair dryers to frozen pipes and trimming fat off our budgets to cover rising electric bills, Central Maine Power is busy, too. The company is hiring the best lawyers (and it can afford the best) to win one legal battle after another to build the New England Clean Energy Connect (a.k.a. CMP Corridor), whether Maine people like it or not.

Does CMP care that Maine voted 60% against the corridor, that 25 towns oppose it, that the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, United Steelworkers Maine Labor Council and Bath Iron Works’ largest union oppose it?

Does it bother CMP that the Maine State Federation of Firefighters is concerned about the risk of catastrophic fire from these high voltage transmission lines passing through remote wooded areas which lack fire or emergency response capacity?

Need I say more? Yes. One more thing. TDI New England.

TDI-NE is a proposed high-voltage, underwater and underground transmission cable between Quebec and Vermont. It is permitted, dig-ready and capable of moving clean energy between Eastern Canada and New England in both directions.

As far as I can tell, it is widely supported by the people of Vermont.

Why then is CMP shoving its corridor down our throats?

I don’t know the answer, but I suspect it has little to do with the best interests of Maine and much to do with the best interests of CMP’s owners.

Amy Partridge-Barber, Carrabassett Valley