PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 18, 2023
Mainers should be looking to use as many renewable energy resources as we can to combat the ever-growing effects of climate change. The dams that store the water that would source the NECEC have been in Quebec for generations. There are no new dams being built. Carbon-polluting companies like NextEra successfully funded efforts to derail the corridor by repeatedly feeding Mainers lies through tens of millions of dollars of advertising against the project. The NECEC will not destroy our state’s natural beauty, and Mainers will absolutely see lower energy prices if it is constructed. Instead, we are stuck paying the same company that fought the project, NextEra, higher electricity bills than ever. Hydro-Quebec has worked extensively with Indigenous groups in Canada to ensure their rights are protected. Hydropower is clean, renewable, much more affordable and the dams in this case already exist. Do not let the fossil fuel companies fool you. ~ Leonardo Bintabara, Gorham