Falmouth passes resolution opposing CMP transmission project
Power lines at a Central Maine Power substation in Yarmouth. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
Following public outcry, the Falmouth Town Council passed a resolution opposing a proposed transmission line upgrade project that would run through the town and surrounding communities.
The project, which is under review by a state regulator, has sparked pushback from residents. As the deadline for testimony nears at the end of the month, Falmouth’s action intended to voice the concerns of residents and ask for answers — and neighboring Cumberland looks to follow suit.
“What we’re seeing now is really an united effort for both abutters and property owners from Falmouth and Cumberland,” said Cumberland council Chair Michael Edes. “It’s really a strong united voice from these groups.”
Central Maine Power’s proposed Greater Portland Transmission Upgrades Project would run from Yarmouth into Portland, with a separate section in Westbrook. It would install and rebuild transmission lines and construct and upgrade substations along the route. The first phase of the project in the section north of Portland will cost an estimated $547 million.
The upgrades will strengthen the energy grid in Greater Portland, according to CMP. The company pointed to a recent equipment failure at an aging Yarmouth substation, which caused 28,000 outages from Gray to Falmouth, as one example of why the upgrades are needed.
Residents along the current power corridor, many organizing under the newly formed Alliance for Responsible Infrastructure, say the project would have a negative impact on their property values, municipal planning, health and local environment.
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Much of the Alliance for Responsible Infrastructure’s concerns, as well as its extensive website, include misinformation about the project, said a CMP spokesperson.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission is reviewing the project, tasked with determining if it would serve a public need. The review process, which typically takes a year, started in July.
In September, members of the Alliance for Responsible Infrastructure gained intervenor status in the case, meaning the group could submit official testimony and be part of the review process. They then filed a motion asking the PUC to create a threshold merit phase in the review, meaning an independent party would evaluate the need for the project.
The request, supported by the Conservation Law Foundation, the town of Falmouth and the Maine Office of Public Advocate, was rejected by the PUC commissioners on Oct. 9, who said these steps were already included in the standard PUC review.
In the same ruling, the PUC pushed back the deadline for all intervenor testimony by one week to Oct. 30.
At the Falmouth Town Council meeting on Wednesday, residentaired frustration with CMP for not communicating the scope and scale of the upgrades to them more directly, and asked the council to stand with them in their opposition to the proposal.
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“Falmouth needs to send a clear, unequivocal message that this proposal is not acceptable as it stands,” said Falmouth resident and Alliance for Responsible Infrastructure member Erin Becker.
A power outage caused by equipment failure at Central Maine Power’s substation in Yarmouth was the cause of an outage that affected 28,000 customers on Friday night, according to Senior Communications Manager Dustin Wlodkowski. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
The resolution, which passed unanimously, opposed the PUC certifying the project as necessary and urged the regulators to further examine scale and impact of the project, as well as consider alternatives.
The resolution also calls on CMP to provide clear answers on the project’s need and design and requests more time for intervenors to participate in the PUC review process.
Responding to the resolution, a statement from CMP said staff look forward to communicating with residents at an upcoming open house and appreciated the town’s engagement, also remarking on the resolution’s context.
“Unfortunately, misinformation and misleading speculation about the potential impacts of what is proposed continue to circulate,” said the statement.
At the council’s meeting on Sept. 28, the public spoke for hours against the project. The council sent a letter to CMP conveying what it had heard from residents, as well as supporting the filing to establish a threshold merit phase.
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In response to the town’s initial letter, CMP met with council leadership to discuss local concerns.
Other towns are considering similar paths. In Cumberland, the council has heard concerns from residents about the impacts of the transmission project and the lack of communication from CMP — though to a lesser extent than Falmouth, which has more of the corridor running through it.
On Wednesday, the council sent a letter to CMP expressing resident questions and frustrations and asking for more information. The same letter is set to be filed with the PUC, and the council will also consider a resolution on the project at its Oct. 26 meeting.
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Cumberland Town Manager Matt Sturgis said that while CMP did host an open house last fall about the upgrades and sent mailers to abutters, residents have been asking for more.
“If folks are coming to us saying, ‘We don’t know anything, we haven’t heard anything’ … we do have a responsibility to our residents to say ‘Hey, can you help us understand what’s going on here?’” said Sturgis.
After the intervenor deadline passes, testimony will be reviewed at an intervenor technical conference on Dec. 2, after which PUC commissioners will issue a final order.
In between these two PUC dates, CMP will host a series of open houses about the project in the communities, including on Nov. 5 in Falmouth and Nov. 12 in Cumberland.
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Tagged: CMP, CMP project, CMP transmission line, falmouth town council
Sophie is a community reporter for Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth and Falmouth and previously reported for the Forecaster. Her memories of briefly living on Mount Desert Island as a child drew her. More by Sophie Burchell
