Clock is ticking for CMP to protect land for power corridor approval

11/28/24

by Murray Carpenter, Special to the BDN

EXCERPTS

When Maine regulators first approved the New England Clean Energy Connect corridor that will carry hydropower from Quebec into Massachusetts, conservationists won a key concession from the project.
The developers were required to permanently conserve 50,000 acres in the area of the corridor, which will go through western Maine. That’s an area larger than Acadia National Park, and more than half the size of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. The power line can not begin commercial operation until the conservation deal is pinned down.
Now, some observers say project developer Central Maine Power appears to be behind on meeting this commitment.
“We’re really curious and interested and concerned,” said State Sen. Stacy Brenner, a Democrat from Scarborough who chairs the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. “We don’t want this to get forgotten about.”
But CMP, which is finally in the middle of building the 145-mile power line after years of costly delays and legal fights, says it’s on schedule to meet the commitment in time to get it running by the end of 2025...............................

.......................To mitigate the habitat fragmentation caused by the power line, state regulators want the 50,000 acres of permanently conserved lands to be in blocks of 5,000 acres or more, or be adjacent to existing conservation land. And the land should have high conservation values, like wading bird and waterfowl habitat, deer wintering areas, and vernal pools, as well as habitat for species like Atlantic salmon, brook trout, and Canada lynx.
The developers submitted a conservation plan in November 2021, but the Maine Department of Environmental Protection found it insufficiently detailed. In the three years since, they have told DEP that they’re negotiating with landowners, but have not filed additional information for review. Meanwhile, the Maine Board of Environmental Protection increased the conservation requirement from 40,000 acres to 50,000 acres....................

......................Jake Metzler of the Forest Society of Maine says this won’t be easy. “These are very specific permit conditions, and finding the right combination of landowner and conservation holder could be tricky,” he said.

The Forest Society of Maine has a lot of conservation land in the area of the power corridor, through both ownership and easement, and Metzler says it had been working with CMP on a possible conservation project, but is not currently.

“These projects don’t just come together with the snap of a finger.” Metzler said. “If they’re not far along, it seems like it is getting very tight to meet the timeline that they are working on.”................

Continue reading at https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/11/28/business/business-energy...

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