CMP corridor has a hard path forward despite court victory

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 30, 2022

The Central Maine Power Co. corridor won a key court case on Tuesday. It does not mean the $1 billion hydropower rejected by voters last year is back on. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the anti-corridor referendum was unconstitutional as long as CMP and affiliates could prove that they built enough of the project before the 2021 election to claim “vested rights” — a legal concept that means builders were developing the project in good faith and should be allowed to finish work. While justices hinted that CMP has a good case, finalizing it could take months. That would imperil a construction deadline for the regional project. Another high-court decision and even more regulatory actions are pending, adding still more corridor uncertainty.