Former Gov Paul LePage Interviewed This Morning on CMP Hydro Transmission Project - 2/25/19

Begin listening to the governor at the 2:10 mark in this morning's audio interview with Ken and Matt of WGAN News Radio. I listened to the relatively short interview once and made an attempt to capture some of what the governor said:

(Not exact quotes but pretty close - I did this quickly).

What Governor LePage said on the CMP transmission line

"This will hopefully educate the legislature that hydro is carbon neutral".

"They're tying the $700 million carbon tax to it - that's an attack on the poor and the elderly; I find that repulsive".

"I will lead an effort to repeal the carbon tax".

"They're a lot of people in the solar and wind industry who are against it - follow the money".

"The corridor is 300' wide, room enough to put a second line and I have always said the second line would be for Maine people; there's no reason for us not to go after that. It's silly for us to go take down our mountaintops"

"The problem with the solar panels is that before you have the ability to store the electricity it is not good for society".

"The carbon tax is another move towards socialism; they are going to control the power in the state of Maine".

"I just don't see the rationale of going after heating oil and natural gas; they're going to kill industry and hurt the elderly and the poor".

"Regarding the benefits package, it's not a good trade off; they should just lower the electricity costs....they should have tied it to lowering the long term rates for Maine people".

"I would get rid of monthly electricity bill add-ons such as Efficiency Maine Trust which is nothing but a scam; I just don't think adding taxes on surcharges is the right way to go when you have the 10th highest energy costs in the United States of America".

Listen here:

https://soundcloud.com/newsradio-wgan/former-governor-paul-lepage-3

Mills and LePage both back CMP’s $1 billion project, but for very different reasons

https://bangordailynews.com/2019/02/25/politics/daily-brief/mills-a...

earlier

 

Montreal Gazette: Hydro-Québec offers US$170M in incentives for Maine transmission line

Provisions to ensure existing renewable energy projects in the state won’t be blocked by the project, and a provision that will support energy efficiency in low-income households, were also factors for the CLF, he said. The Acadia Center advocacy group has also voiced support.

Read the full article here:

https://montrealgazette.com/business/local-business/hydro-quebec-of...

 

Commonwealth Magazine:

Mass. hydro project showers benefits on Maine

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/energy/hydro-project-showers-benef...

earlier

Opponents strategize in wake of Mills’ support of CMP transmission line through Maine

“We can’t say no to every single project,” Mills said at the Portland International Jetport Friday before flying to Washington, D.C., for a meeting of the National Governors Association. “We have to open the door.”

Holding a roughly 3-inch square cube of carbon encased in plastic to symbolize the reduced pollution of electricity generated by hydroelectric dams, Mills said the project will boost Maine’s economy by nearly $100 million, provide hundreds of jobs, cut carbon emissions by 3 million metric tons a year and lower Maine’s electricity costs by reducing demand on other electricity providers in the region....................Barry Hobbins, the state’s public advocate who represents ratepayers in PUC matters, said his office endorsed the agreement, noting CMP’s commitment to create a $50 million fund to help low-income Mainers with their electric bills....................

Read the full article here:

https://www.pressherald.com/2019/02/21/read-mills-statement-on-her-...

Conservation Law Foundation news release

Central Maine Power has committed $10 million to the Passamaquoddy tribe and the Western Mountains Alliance to protect the scenic and fragile habitats of the area, develop a local visitor center, and build and maintain hiking trails.

Read their full release here:

https://www.clf.org/blog/clean-energy-connect-cutting-carbon-pollut...

NRCM news release

CMP has done virtually nothing to address concerns about impacts on the environment in Somerset and Franklin Counties, including fragmentation of forests, damage to brook trout streams, and disruption of the scenic and recreational resources that the regional economy relies on.

Read their full release here:

https://www.nrcm.org/maine-environmental-news/cmp-settlement-less-t...

Earlier:

Governor Mills says yes to CMP transmission line

Gov. Janet Mills has signed onto a deal to support Central Maine Power’s controversial proposal to build a 145-mile transmission line to carry hydropower from Quebec to Massachusetts.

The negotiated settlement between the executive branch, a utility watchdog, business and labor groups, and some environmental groups was finalized Wednesday and is expected to be filed with the Public Utilities Commission on Thursday.

The PUC is the lead agency deciding whether there’s a public need in Maine for the roughly $1 billion New England Clean Energy Connect project, even though none of the power would be directly used here. The PUC’s decision could come in early spring.....................................

..............................

The settlement sets up a $140 million fund to help lower electric rates and a separate $50 million fund for low-income customers, paid over 40 years. Also in the package are $15 million for heat pump installations; $15 million for electric vehicle charging stations; $5 million for communities along the power line route; and $15 million for high-speed internet service and fiber optic cable. All totaled, the package has a cash value today of $258 million.

A draft outline of the settlement was first reported Feb. 6 by the Portland Press Herald. The exact terms of the final agreement have yet to be made public. But aside from language changes and certain provisions, the broad outlines of the deal are generally unchanged, according to sources.

Read the full article here:

https://www.pressherald.com/2019/02/20/governor-signs-onto-deal-to-...

Here are details of the deal that won Janet Mills’ support for $1 billion CMP project

One of the most vocal opponents, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, issued a statement Wednesday that the agreement is less than meets the eye.

The environmental advocacy group claimed the transmission line would harm Maine substantially, from the state’s forests, waters and wildlife to local clean energy projects and jobs, and without benefiting the climate.

“The massive corridor would cause large-scale damage to Maine’s North Woods, would not reduce carbon pollution and could block local clean energy projects that would provide real jobs and benefits for Mainers,” said Dylan Voorhees, NRC’s clean energy project director.

Read the full article here:

https://bangordailynews.com/2019/02/21/business/here-are-details-of...

Settlement may be near for Quebec-to-Mass. power line

.......................The settlement is also expected to deal with power-line congestion issues. But Dylan Voorhees, NRCM’s clean energy director, says he remains concerned that it could crowd out worthy renewable energy projects.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2019/02/20/settlement-may-near...

Mills, 2 Environmental Groups Back CMP’s $1 Billion Western Maine Transmission Project

http://www.mainepublic.org/post/mills-2-environmental-groups-back-c...

Gov. Mills Signs Onto Power Line After CMP Sweetens Pot

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/02/21/us/ap-us-hydropower-tra...

and

https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/02/21/gov-mills-signs-onto-power-...

Read Mills’ statement on her support of CMP’s controversial transmission line

https://www.pressherald.com/2019/02/21/read-mills-statement-on-her-...

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Comment by John F. Hussey on February 26, 2019 at 10:01am

Comment by John F. Hussey on February 26, 2019 at 8:54am

REMEMBER THIS!!!  BOUGHT AND PAID FOR!!!  Former CMP CEO, David Flannigan is in Janet Mills cabinet and her brother, Peter Mills has been on the Western Maine Mountains and Rivers Corporation for over 2 years. The media is silent only because Mills is their candidate. That is an example of fake news.

Comment by Dan McKay on February 23, 2019 at 10:59am
Greg Cunningham, vice president and director of CLF’s Clean Energy and Climate Change program, told Utility Dive the governor's support was significant.  

"We saw virtually no progress under the LePage administration," he said, referring to the climate policies of former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who was ineligible to run again due to Maine's term limits. 

I guess in-state generation rising to 75% renewable is " no progress "

Comment by Long Islander on February 23, 2019 at 10:48am

Maine settlement could pave way for Canadian hydro in New England

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/maine-settlement-could-pave-way-fo...

Comment by Art Brigades on February 22, 2019 at 5:45pm

Also. NextEra owns Seabrook, which stands to lose millions because of price suppression, and they HOPED to owns several hundred MW of western Maine wind projects which would be essentially bumped from the grid both from the HVDC line and from the marketplace when southern New England finds it likes high quality hydro as opposed to wind.

Comment by Dan McKay on February 22, 2019 at 5:03pm

Those opposing the stipulation are NextEra Energy Resources, Dorothy Kelly, Calpine Corp ( Westbrook Energy Center )., Vistra Energy,Casco Bay Plant)  Bucksport Generation, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, RENEW Northeast, the Maine Renewable Energy Association, ReEnergy Biomass Operations, the town of Caratunk, Friends of Maine Mountains, former state Sen. Thomas Saviello and the town of Alna, CMP wrote in a letter to PUC spokesman Harry Lanphear.

Comment by Art Brigades on February 22, 2019 at 4:30pm

The reason for the Westbrook Energy Center blanks on the spread sheet is their revenues haven't been reported yet.  Add them up and you see they all got $322 million for $117 million worth of energy. The Casco Bay plant in Veazie took $67 million for $12 million worth of energy.  Great country!

Comment by Dan McKay on February 22, 2019 at 3:33pm

In order to get an ISO-NE approval for the project, it must upgrade transmission wherever it is necessary to assure there remains room for existing generators. The project was designed to do this, but ISO-NE has not done it's analysis yet and CLF wants assurance that CMP will comply with ISO-NE standards.  

Comment by Dan McKay on February 22, 2019 at 2:40pm

Art, an excellent assessment of the current regional market and how the NECEC fits in.

Comment by Art Brigades on February 22, 2019 at 12:51pm

Here is the full spread sheet partially shown below in the previous post.

FERC%202018%20EQR%20Data.pdf

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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