PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 19, 2021
Maine’s top environmental regulator heard testimony Tuesday on whether she should suspend or revoke the New England Clean Energy Connect project’s lease to build a transmission line across a 0.9-mile stretch of public lands in western Maine. Project opponents made their case for why construction along the entire route should be suspended until the lease issue is resolved. They cited the environmental damage that could be caused by a venture that ultimately may have to be abandoned. Melanie Loyzim, the DEP’s commissioner, is accepting legal briefs in the case until Nov. 16, but there’s no deadline for the agency to make a decision.