Opinion: State should demand better conservation plan from energy corridor

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 15, 2026

Earlier this year,  New England Clean Energy Connect began delivering electricity from Quebec to New England. As part of its permit, NECEC is required to conserve 50,000 acres in large blocks, with a primary goal of conserving mature forests and connecting habitat for species that prefer mature forests. What NECEC came up with, however, fell far short of meeting this requirement; and then, inexplicably, the Department of Environmental Protection approved the plan. That decision drew an appeal to the Board of Environmental Protection, which will hear the case on Sept. 17. I believe the BEP should require NECEC to comply with conservation measures that actually meet the terms of the permit. ~ Tom Saviello, former International Paper environmental manager, former manager of the Northern Forest Research Center, and former state senator and representative