BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 4, 2022
The ballot question over the future of the Central Maine Power Co. could be just a preview of energy fights. Nearly 6 in 10 Mainers rejected the transmission line, although the project’s future remains up in the air as CMP challenges the referendum’s legality in court. The 2021 referendum could also have ramifications for other projects as well, as a proposal for a transmission line to connect Aroostook County to the rest of New England’s energy grid will now require legislative approval. There is also a fight brewing over offshore wind. Following backlash from lobstermen worried about development, Gov. Mills signed a law this year prohibiting wind projects in state waters while moving ahead with a pilot project in federal waters. Paul LePage will likely try to leverage fishermen’s concerns about new projects, but he also has a complicated history with coastal energy that included support for expanded offshore drilling under former President Donald Trump.