To the Editor:
I hope this finds you having a wonderful fall. In spite of everything going on I feel so fortunate to be able to live around such natural beauty.
The purpose of this e-mail is to update you on the No Corridor effort. CMP is threatening to start construction next month. However, there are several legal battles as well as potentially a new citizen initiative in our opposition toolbox. On the legal front it appears that there will be a legal challenge to the Army Corps of Engineers failure to authorize a full environmental impact statement (EIS). The Corps’ decision disregarded Congressman Golden and the Penobscot Nation’s requests. There are also rumblings of several towns who voted against the Corridor bringing a lawsuit based on ” home rule”. King and Collins have both remained silent on the issue.
The language of the citizen initiative has been accepted by the Sec. of State and is currently being analyzed for its fiscal note. There are three parts to the initiative.
1.It requires legislative approval for a high-impact electric transmission lines
2.It requires a 2/3 constitutional vote by the legislature for a high-impact electric transmission line crossing public lands
3.It prohibits building such lines in the upper Kennebec Valley.
There is a chance that the petition will be ready for circulation by election day. I am assuming that election day collection would be done outside with masks and social distancing. If anyone is interested in collecting, please let me know. If you want to help out with a donation, feel free to go to www.forestecologynetwork.org
The COVID pandemic has made it very difficult to maintain the grassroots momentum, but I remain hopeful that the Corridor is still stoppable!
Stay safe – but above all keep a smile on your face and laugh often.
Jonathan Carter
Dir. Forest Ecology Network
Lexington Twp
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