Republican's Meet with LS Power
How many MW???
EDIT - (8/31/23 8:30 am) LS Power is disputing the information regarding the capacity of the line. As soon as I learn more I will send out an update.
A number of Republican Representatives met with LS Power representatives today. Representative Reagan Paul shared this information from their meeting on her Facebook page. Since a number of readers aren’t on Facebook, I’m sharing her post here.
Republicans are fighting for you.
I am a member of the EUT committee. I voted against the LS Power Line Project (LD 924) in committee as well as on the floor.
Today we met with LS Power to get answers regarding the Aroostook Gateway Transmission Line project. Here are some of the takeaways:
-There is still no proposed route, and they indicated that they would not be able to meet the September deadline to gain their CPCN, which would then grant them the ability to invoke eminent domain. However, no extension to file the CPCN has been formally accepted. That doesn't mean that they won't use eminent domain, just that the timeline has maybe been pushed out a bit.
-They admitted that while this is being advertised as a 1200 megawatt transmission line, it actually is a 2400 megawatt transmission line until it meets the substation in Windsor. Why? Great question. I asked them if this was designed this way in anticipation of onloading future wind or solar generation projects. Their answer was that they were not involved in the drafting of LD 1710, which was passed in the previous legislature (that made this transmission line possible), but there is 2400 megawatts of capacity still available on the line, and only about 1000 megawatts will be utilized for King Pine Wind.
-They also said that the width of the corridor would be around 150 feet and the height of the towers would be between 135-140 feet high. Thats roughly 4 standard telephone polls, or roughly the height of the Great Pyramids.
Did we get solid answers? No. But we did gain insight that is going to be useful to help protect the interests of our constituents.
Things to consider:
*LD 1710 was passed in the 130th legislature to establish the Northern Maine Renewable Energy Development Program, to be administered by the Public Utilities Commission, with the purpose of removing obstacles to the use of and promoting development of the substantial renewable energy resources in northern Maine. Under the program, the Public Utilities Commission is required to issue a request for proposals for the construction and development of a 345-kilovolt double circuit generation connection line.
EUT Divided Report: https://legislature.maine.gov/.../display_ps.aspsnum=130...
*The 2400 megawatt capacity is not by accident. 4x the infrastructure is needed to even get Maine's nonsensical climate goals going. You think your energy bills are high now? Wait until they are 4x higher. How many more swaths of land will be clear cut, how many more wind farms, how many more solar fields, how many more acres of private property seized through eminent domain, how many more visual impacts, etc. will it take for them to achieve their goals? By them, I mean the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, and the other special interests, along with the legislators who do their bidding. (Remember, special interests can't vote)
*According to the EIA, Maine’s net contribution to the world’s CO2 emissions is .000098%. Nothing...let me repeat…nothing Maine does will have any impact on climate change. They are willing to destroy the value of your property and steal the fruits of your labor for absolutely no verifiable reason. They are willing to sacrifice you on the altar of their unattainable climate goals.
What I will tell you is that the citizen uprising is working. Your voice matters. Keep up the fight. You are making a difference.
We need to talk about the admission that this line is actually going to be 2400MW and not the 1200MW that has been stated. I had heard rumors about that being the case, but hadn’t been able to get confirmation. I’ll post another newsletter shortly to talk about the implications of a 2400MW transmission line.
Thanks to all our Republican Representatives who took the time to meet with LS Power today! And thank you to Representative Paul for writing up this summary.
Note: The link in the post is not working correctly. I think it’s a link to the bill she references - LS 1710. This link will take you to it. https://legislature.maine.gov/bills/display_ps.asp?snum=130&paper=SP0563