Re: the Hon. David Sawicki’s Sept. 4 letter (“CMP transmission corridor can bring jobs to Maine”):
The Honorable (he’s not a judge – he’s a former one-term state legislator) Mr. Sawicki says he has read “a lot of about the CMP corridor and am excited about its benefits.” Seems he has read the wrong stuff. The corridor will create only 1,600 jobs during construction, and even the promoters say it will bring hundreds, not “thousands” of permanent jobs.
“If we can create both jobs and be more environmentally friendly, then why not explore it?” Well, you don’t “explore” something that is going to despoil 53 miles of unbroken forest, destroying the habitat for fish and animals and even bringing down trees along the existing transmission line.
“I know that the corridor will deliver us hydroelectricity.” Wrong. The electricity all goes to Massachusetts. The proposal is for Mainers to get $190 million in rate relief. A pittance, and dubious, especially if dysfunctional Central Maine Power is sending out the checks.
See, Massachusetts had global warming goals it needed to meet and sought bids for renewable electric energy. Their first choice was a New Hampshire project also connected to Hydro-Quebec, but N.H. regulators rejected it. That’s how CMP was chosen.
We Mainers know what second best looks like. Why should we support more of it? And why should we let false statements from people like “the Honorable” go unchecked?
Donna Halvorsen
South Portland
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