MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 11, 2022
Clean energy from the north, to help New England states meet their climate goals. Lower electric rates for Maine customers, with Massachusetts picking up the tab. High-voltage wires strung through Maine forestland and utility corridors, requiring approval as a “high impact transmission line” from the Legislature. Sound familiar? No, it’s not the beleaguered New England Clean Energy Connect project. This venture’s called the Northern Maine Renewable Energy Development Program. The product of a 2021 state law, it could become the next big thing on Maine’s energy landscape. Picture 179 wind turbines stretching across timberland in an unorganized township northwest of Houlton. The proposed King Pine wind farm would be the largest onshore wind project east of the Mississippi River.