MAINE PUBLIC • March 18, 2021
Leases for state reserve lands along the route for Central Maine Power’s controversial power line are under fire in the Legislature and in the courts — putting both CMP and the administration of Gov. Janet Mills on the defensive. On Wednesday, a Superior Court judge rejected arguments by the state and CMP that the leases for remote Kennebec Valley lands were properly handled. Instead, Justice Michaela Murphy found that the Bureau of Parks and Lands failed to determine whether the placement of electricity lines there would “substantially alter” the uses of the parcels. And if the use would alter the lands, she ruled, an amendment to the state Constitution voters approved in 1993 requires that the leases must be subject to approval by a two-thirds vote in the Legislature. On Thursday, action moved to a legislative committee hearing.