Environmental groups argue transmission corridor failing to meet conservation standards

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 18, 2026

Despite more than four hours of discussion on the conservation requirements for the long-embattled New England Clean Energy Connect project, the state environmental board held off on making a final ruling on the issue. Instead, the Board of Environmental Protection on Thursday directed department staff to review its proposed order and add additional analysis before it is revisited. Last year, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection approved the project’s conservation plan as part of the construction of 53 miles of new transmission line through western Maine. An appeal of the department’s decision—filed by the Appalachian Mountain Club, Maine Audubon, Natural Resources Council of Maine and Trout Unlimited—said the conservation plan “categorically fails” to meet the standards set by the board, calling it a “shell game on multiple levels.”