PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 15, 2021
Several bills that would make it illegal for Hydro-Quebec to spend money on a powerline referendum campaign in Maine drew conflicting testimony in a public hearing before the Legislature on Monday. The three bills, offered by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, would prohibit foreign companies from spending to influence the outcome of a state ballot question. That includes a measure on the November ballot that would require the Legislature to approve the $1 billion powerline-expansion project spearheaded by Central Maine Power Co. and Hydro-Quebec, the energy company owned and operated by the Canadian province of Quebec. The project already has been approved by both state and federal regulators.