PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 19, 2023
Jurors in a civil trial about the stalled New England Clean Energy Connect power line on Wednesday began deliberations, which are set to resume Thursday and could decide the fate of Maine’s most controversial energy project in decades. Up for decision is whether companies affiliated with Central Maine Power supported construction of the 145-mile line on a sped-up schedule simply to gain legal rights over a referendum that might kill the project. After seven days of conflicting testimony and hundreds of email and document exhibits, the verdict hinges on how at least six of the nine jurors answer this question.