#CMPCorridor Proposal: A Bad Deal for #Maine

"In April 2023, a Cumberland County jury ruled in CMP’s favor during a court case that very likely will decide the future of the company’s controversial transmission corridor. The decision was based on technical legal issues and not on the merits of whether or not this was a good project for Maine

"We are disappointed with the outcome and remain sharply focused on achieving a just and equitable clean energy future that works for all Mainers.

"Maine has already shown there’s a better path forward than the CMP corridor. A path focused on #regional collaboration and centered in Maine’s pragmatic approach to solving problems.

"Mainers are pursuing home-grown clean energy sources, like the #KingPineWind project in Aroostook County that will deliver new and verifiable reductions in pollution rather than a shell game that shifts existing energy for maximum profit.

"#MaineVoters got it right when they overwhelmingly passed a referendum rejecting the #CMP corridor because it’s a bad deal for #Maine and a bad deal for our climate.

"#NRCM is honored to stand with youth #ClimateJustice activists, #tribes in Maine and Canada, people across #WesternMaine who rely on a vibrant outdoor recreation economy, and many others in opposing the CMP corridor. Thank you to everyone who partnered with us on this hard-fought campaign.

What is the CMP Corridor?

"Central Maine Power (CMP) is building a 145-mile transmission line through the heart of Maine to send hydropower from Quebec to electricity customers in Massachusetts.

"The CMP corridor is a bad deal for Maine. It will permanently damage #undeveloped #forest and #wildlife habitat, stifle the #LocalRenewableEnergy industry, and jeopardize the creation of clean energy jobs. The corridor won’t reduce global greenhouse gas emissions or create sustainable jobs for Maine people.

Top 4 Reasons NRCM Opposed the Corridor:

- Won’t reduce climate-changing pollution, and may actually increase it.
- Cuts 53 miles of new transmission lines through undeveloped forests in Maine’s #NorthWoods, harming brook trout, deer, other #wildlife, and the tourism economy.
- Jeopardizes the construction of new in-state renewable energy projects and creation of clean energy jobs.
- Generates billions of dollars of profit for CMP [#Avangrid] and #HydroQuebec while offering very little to Maine people and businesses."

https://www.nrcm.org/programs/climate/proposed-cmp-transmission-line-bad-deal-maine/

#NorthWoods #SaveTheNorthWoods
#SaveTheForests #BigElectricity
#MainePol #ProtectTheNorthWoods #QuebecHydro

On today's #CommunityVoicesForChange on #WMPG, the host interviewed #ShennaBellows about how the #GOP tried to downplay the consequences of the upcoming ballot question, #QuestionOne. This isn't about #VoterFraud, this is about making it harder for #MaineVoters -- and getting rid of #AbsenteeVoting altogether! As for IDs? Only driver's licenses will be accepted! Not #StudentIDs or #TribalIDs! You can see who this is aimed at (as well as Seniors, many of whom vote absentee)!

WMPG show page:
https://www.wmpg.org/show/mon1300/

Listen to the audio archives (available for 5 weeks after air date):
www.wmpg.org/archive-player/?show_key=mon1330&archive_key=0

#CommunityRadio #CollegeRadio #CommunityVoices
#NoOnOne #MaineVoters #AbsenteeVoting #VotingLaws #MainePol #VoterDisenfranchisement #MAGA #MaineGOP

#MaineQuestion1 is a good reason to vote in an "off-year" election (you know, when the sneaky types try and pass shit!).

#Mainers like #AbsenteeVoting. Question 1 would make that option harder.

The November referendum has been framed around requiring #VoterID, but it also includes a host of changes to absentee voting.

Rachel Ohm, August 24, 2025

Excerpt: "#MaineVoters have come to increasingly rely on absentee or #MailInBallots — a practice that is routinely targeted by #Republicans politicians as rife with potential fraud, even though evidence doesn’t support that.

"During last year’s presidential election, almost half of all votes cast were absentee. The latest citizen-initiated proposal would make that more difficult.
If passed, it would prohibit voters from requesting absentee ballots by phone, and would require older Mainers and those with disabilities to renew their eligibility each year. The proposal also would limit the number of #DropBoxes municipalities are allowed to have and prohibit them from including prepaid return postage."

Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/08/21/question-1-would-make-changes-to-absentee-voting-an-option-mainers-increasingly-like/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/CuNbt

#Absentee #BallotAccess #Disabled #Poor #MaineVoters #DisabilityRights #VoterDisenfranchisement #USPol #MainePol #USElections

Despite local opposition and a statewide vote, the #CMPCorridor through #Maine's #NorthWoods is getting pushed through! #PeterMills, head of the #MaineTurnpikeAuthority and brother of #JanetMills, is on the board of a corporation involved in the project! Nothing to see here, eh? No wonder MTA has no problem destroying woods, streams and farmland here in southern #Maine!

#CMPCorridor Proposal: A Bad Deal for Maine

"In April 2023, a Cumberland County jury ruled in CMP’s favor during a court case that very likely will decide the future of the company’s controversial transmission corridor. The decision was based on technical legal issues and not on the merits of whether or not this was a good project for Maine.

"We are disappointed with the outcome and remain sharply focused on achieving a just and equitable clean energy future that works for all Mainers.

"Maine has already shown there’s a better path forward than the CMP corridor. A path focused on regional collaboration and centered in Maine’s pragmatic approach to solving problems.

"Mainers are pursuing home-grown clean energy sources, like the #KingPineWindProject in Aroostook County that will deliver new and verifiable reductions in pollution rather than a shell game that shifts existing energy for maximum profit.

"#MaineVoters got it right when they overwhelmingly passed a referendum rejecting the CMP corridor because it’s a bad deal for Maine and a bad deal for our climate.

"#NRCM is honored to stand with youth #ClimateJustice activists, tribes in Maine and Canada, people across western Maine who rely on a vibrant outdoor recreation economy, and many others in opposing the CMP corridor. Thank you to everyone who partnered with us on this hard-fought campaign."

Top 4 Reasons NRCM Opposes the Corridor:

- Won’t reduce climate-changing pollution, and may actually increase it.
- Cuts 53 miles of new transmission lines through undeveloped #forests in Maine’s #NorthWoods, harming brook trout, deer, other #wildlife, and the tourism economy.
- Jeopardizes the construction of new in-state #RenewableEnergy projects and creation of clean energy jobs.
- Generates billions of dollars of profit for CMP and #HydroQuebec while offering very little to Maine people and businesses.

Read more:
https://www.nrcm.org/programs/climate/proposed-cmp-transmission-line-bad-deal-maine/

#MainePolitics #ClimateActivism #CorporateColonialism #CorporateFascism #Nepotism #MaineTribes #Mining #GorhamSpur #GorhamConnector

What is '#RightToRepair,' and why are #MaineVoters being asked to weigh in on it?

Maine Public | By Steve Mistler
Published September 21, 2023

"#Question4 asks #Maine voters: 'Do you want to require vehicle manufacturers to standardize on-board diagnostic systems and provide remote access to those systems and mechanical data to owners and independent repair facilities?'

"Maine would become the second state in the nation to require automakers to make onboard repair and diagnostic information available to independent mechanics if voters approve Question 4 in November.

"The concept is relatively straightforward and the legislation closely mirrors a law in #Massachusetts that 75% of voters approved in 2020. However, implementation of the Bay State law is mired in a legal battle pitting #AutoManufacturers against #consumers and #RepairShops. Meanwhile, the federal government is sending mixed signals about whether it’s safe to share a car’s telematics data, which increasingly includes information about people’s driving behavior in addition to vehicle repair diagnostics.

"The Maine initiative is part of a burgeoning right-to-repair movement in the U.S. that hinges on the idea that consumers should have the ability to fix the products that they purchase, or at least have a choice in who does the repair for them.

"At least 25 states have considered right-to-repair legislation in recent years, but the proposals are not always specific to cars. #Colorado enacted a law this year centering on the repair of #FarmingEquipment. #NewYork recently enacted a right-to-repair law for #electronic devices such as #smartphones, #tablets or #laptop computers. #Minnesota passed a law similar to New York’s, and Maine may do the same next year if lawmakers enact an #electronics proposal introduced in April."

Full article:
https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2023-09-21/what-is-right-to-repair-and-why-are-maine-voters-being-asked-to-weigh-in-on-it

#DIY #SolarPunk #SolarPunkSunday