FARMINGTON, Maine — Farmington residents voted overwhelmingly Monday night to oppose Central Maine Power's proposed power line project.
The ballot at the town meeting on March 25 was 262 to 102 in opposition to the NECEC corridor. The vote overturned the town's 2017 letter of support for the project and instead formally confirmed its opposition.
Farmington is the largest town in the CMP power line region. These residents joined voters from nine other towns along the proposed corridor that have chosen to oppose or withdraw support for the project.
The debate surrounding the power line has been intense, since Gov. Janet Mills unexpectedly signed onto the project late last month.
The nearly $1 billion proposal would build a 145 mile power line through western Maine. The project is designed to bring electricity from Hydro Quebec to customers in Massachusetts, but many Mainers say it's a bad deal for the state and would destroy a lot of natural resources.
The Legislature is actively working to review CMP's proposal through a number of hearings on different bills.
A key public hearing was held on Friday, March 15 to review a bill that would require independent analysis of the project's environmental impact.
Another bill is in the works to increase local control over projects like the CMP corridor. The bill would remove the Public Utility Commission's ability to override local permitting or zoning decisions for projects that are not needed for reliability.
The Maine PUC will release its Examiner's Report on Friday to include conclusions and decisions by the hearing examiners. Responses to that report are due by April 8.
