PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 2, 2021
Summit Natural Gas of Maine is withdrawing plans for a $90 million expansion of service into Maine’s Midcoast region, after facing opposition from environmental activists and a lack of community consensus. While the prospect of natural gas coming to the area was embraced by some municipal officials, including those in Rockport and Belfast, others questioned whether natural gas was the best choice at a time when Maine state policy favors a rapid transition to renewable energy sources. At the core of the issue is growing, national opposition the concept that natural gas is a preferable, cleaner-burning “bridge” fuel to move from dependence on oil and coal to a future energy mix dominated by solar and wind.