Last fall, Sam Steele of South Portland, Maine, spent six days trekking through the mountainous woodlands of northwestern Maine along Segment 1 of the proposed CMP corridor. CMP has portrayed this region as nothing more than “working forest,” but Sam found something more than that during his trip. Crystal clear streams and mountains, abundant wildlife, and gorgeous mountain views all of which CMP wants to punctate with a harmful transmission corridor. —Natural Resources Council of Maine
A gap in the thicket reveals a forest rich with autumn color, unfurling to blue-tinted mountains beyond. Unless it is stopped, the CMP corridor may soon add its unwelcome presence to this landscape, threatening the region’s abundance of plant and animal life.
The South Branch Moose River meanders past the trees that shade its rocky banks.
A band of sunlight travels down the craggy face of Greenlaw Mountain.
Gold Brook flows slowly along, holding the forest and the sky in its rippled reflection.
Gold Brook sifts through tall grass as it starts out from its source at Rock Pond. The brook provides vital habitat for the northern spring salamander and the Roaring Brook mayfly, both listed as species of special concern by the Maine Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Clouds lit pink by the setting sun float above the broad expanse of Rock Pond. I camped in the woods that rang its shore, among mice who hid in burrows in the mossy earth and squirrels who chittered at me from their pine tree perches.
Dawn light suffuses the sky above and the surface of Rock Pond, as the calls of awakening animals echo across the water.
This fog-shrouded pond, which I camped beside on the last night of my trek, hosted a flock of migrating geese the following morning.
—Photos & captions by Sam Steele of South Portland, Maine
The photo essay is spectacular. We do not want to spoil Maine with ugly transmission lines. However, to reduce greenhouse gasses we will need to support electric power throughout Maine and New England for the new electric appliances, heat pumps, vehicles that saving the planet requires.
Please help Central Maine Power find a better, less environmentally damaging route to build transmission lines to support conveying electric power from Canada and New York to the rest of New England!
Thank you for your thoughts, Hilary. Read more about the harmful proposal, including NRCM’s position, at https://www.nrcm.org/programs/climate/proposed-cmp-transmission-line-bad-deal-maine/
I am so tired of hearing all the lies in their advertisements for the Clean Energy Project: The jobs are only temporary during the construction. The people working will buy commodities while they are working on the project but that is only for the period it takes to run the lines. It is NOT going to benefit Maine, they will soon after it is completed bow out of any agreements for blah blah blah reasons. These conglomerates think they own the right to do what ever they want, it has to stop. If this is such a great idea why don’t they go straight right down through New Hampshire or Vermont? The point of shortest distance would be the most cost efficient for their construction project. They are doing this because they think that We Maine People are stupid and that they can just run right over Us because We are stupid. They are a pack of story tellers spinning a good tale. Then when they are clear cutting the right of way they will just cut the trees and run over them. They will not properly harvest the trees for the lumber or pulp. I have seen CMP in action I have had property that borders on the CMP corridor. They have left a mess on my property in the past, why will this be any different?
You are so right.
Does anyone believe they will hire a Maine contractor or even use Maine workers?
Can anyone say how this will benefit anyone in Maine.
I have been trying to do research and see is any of this “clean” energy going to be used in Maine at all or are we just a doormat for the folks in Mass. to get there energy at a cheaper rate? I have seen where New Hampshire rejected it so now lets go through Maine. Jobs are only temporary once the line is run then no more jobs. I just don’t see where people think this is a good thing when we benefit very little from this whole project and CMP will line there pockets really well I am sure. Please lets get together and end this once and for all. And if someone can give me a site that I can see how much the cost savings for this, clean green or what ever we are calling it this week, energy is for the Mainers I would appreciate it.
You can find out more about what the average cost savings for Maine citizens would be in this news release: https://www.nrcm.org/news/cmp-settlement-less-than-meets-eye-opposition-corridor-continues-grow/