MAINE PUBLIC • March 13, 2020
Staff at Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Friday afternoon released a draft permit for Central Maine Power’s controversial powerline through western Maine. The draft permit would place significant new and potentially costly requirements on the project. Those include a significant narrowing of the corridor in the 54-mile stretch that would cut through the woods of western Maine. Instead of the 150-foot width proposed by CMP, the draft permit would limit it to 54 feet, in order to minimize visual and habitat disruptions. It would also require CMP to set aside 40,000 acres for permanent conservation in western Maine – although uses could include forestry.