PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 13, 2020
In a ruling issued Thursday, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court decided the state’s Constitution does not give voters the power to reverse a decision by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, as the referendum is designed to do, so the question cannot be included on the November ballot as planned. The decision is a significant blow to environmentalists and others who oppose the $1 billion project being developed by Central Maine Power parent company Avangrid, which is owned by Iberdrola, a multinational electric utility conglomerate based in Spain. “It’s a very sad day when Maine’s highest court sides with foreign corporations over the people of Maine,” said Sandi Howard, executive director of No CMP Corridor. “The fact that CMP’s parent company sued the state of Maine to silence their customers, and it worked, is astounding.”