A judge has thrown out a legal challenge to federal permits for Central Maine Power’s controversial power line from Quebec.
In a 59-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Lance Walker rejected environmental groups’ allegations that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Energy issued flawed permits for the transmission corridor.
The Natural Resources Council of Maine, Sierra Club and Appalachian Mountain Club first sued in 2020, claiming the corps failed to fully assess the potential environmental harms of the New England Clean Energy Connect. It later added the Energy Department to the complaint.
The 145-mile power line was proposed in 2017 to connect hydropower from Quebec to Massachusetts customers through the New England grid. The construction includes cutting a new power line through more than 50 miles of western Maine woodland.
But Walker rejected the groups’ allegations. He said the analyses conducted by the corps and department followed the law and the agencies were not required to do a more in-depth analysis.
Sierra Club state conservation and energy director Matt Cannon said the lawsuit was the last court challenge to constructing the power corridor.
“We are disappointed in the ruling and still digesting the court’s opinion and evaluating our options,” Cannon said.
The corridor weathered years of legal and political battles including a construction interruption in 2021 after Maine voters rejected the development in a referendum. Construction resumed in 2023 after a Maine jury ruled developers had established a right to finish the project.
According to CMP, the corridor is under construction and on track for commercial operation by the end of 2025.
The Army Corps of Engineers declined to comment. The Energy Department did not respond to a request for comment.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
