Recently the CEOs of Avangrid, New England Clean Energy and Central Maine Power sent a letter to Gov. Janet Mills stating their displeasure with her decision to ask that construction cease on the NECEC. I found that letter to be absolutely disrespectful and pompous on Avangrid’s, NECEC’s and CMP’s part. Frankly, they should be ashamed of their continued misconduct.
I was the lead petitioner of this year’s Question 1, a citizen initiative to block CMP’s western Maine corridor. This effort, fueled by the passion of hundreds of volunteers, gathered over 80,000 signatures to get the question on the ballot, with signatures coming from nearly every town in Maine. This effort was rewarded with more than 240,000 Mainers casting “yes” votes to reject high voltage electric transmission lines like the NECEC project. It turns out this unnecessary destructive project coupled with CMP’s last-in-the-nation reputation turned Maine voters out in droves to participate in this off-year election.
This vote triggered a significant change in circumstances that led Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection to suspend the permit for the NECEC on Nov. 23. NECEC CEO Thorn Dickinson commented that there was no need for the suspension, as Avangrid “voluntarily” ceased operations.
Really? Does anyone trust Avangrid/NECEC/CMP to follow this voluntary shutdown? No! We might have believed it if they had done the right thing by shutting the project down immediately following the vote. It is doubtful that without our governor (one of their biggest supporters) requesting that they stop, and the DEP stepping in, CMP would have kept developing the NECEC.
Avangrid/CMP, and its partner, Hydro Quebec (owned by a foreign government), spent an astonishing $73 million to influence the outcome of the November 2nd election. In the end, Maine voters didn’t believe a word they had to say, and voted accordingly. Now, CMP and their partners are behaving like sore losers, lashing out at Gov. Mills and the DEP for doing their job while the courts weigh the merits of the various lawsuits plaguing the future of this deeply unpopular project.
Their letter to Gov. Mills continues to use the same tiresome play book implicating oil and gas money. Conveniently Avangrid’s CEO, Catherine Stempien seems to have forgotten that her job is to oversee Avangrid’s eight electric and gas utilities, including Maine Natural Gas. This hypocritical rhetoric did not gain CMP support during the election, and it still rings hollow today.
At this point, CMP has lost the trust of lawmakers, the regulators who have two pending investigations into the Company’s under performance and the customers who they serve. CMP’s heavy-handed approach following the Nov. 2 vote has further eroded that trust, yet they seem as determined as ever to burn it all to the ground to make a few billion extra dollars for their shareholders.
Having worked in the paper industry for 33 years, I’ve come across a good deal of CEOs. Some were better than others, but even the worst never exhibited the arrogance Avangrid/NECEC/ CMP has displayed by ignoring the clear will of their Mine customers, destroying some of Maine’s most precious habitat resources and sending that shameful letter to Gov. Mills.
Let me be clear, the governor and I are on opposite sides of the NECEC project, but we have expressed that disagreement in a respectful and dignified manner. Her request for an operational suspension was appropriate and necessary. She listened to the 240,000 Mainers who she was elected to represent. Better yet, she listened to Maine’s stockholders – its citizens. Gov. Mills did the right thing! I applaud her for this action.
CMP, Avangrid and NECEC owe Gov. Mills, and the voters of Maine, a sincere apology for their ongoing misconduct. CMP was granted monopoly status to serve the majority of Maine households and businesses. It’s time they stop abusing that privilege, and focus on the job they’ve been hired to do.
— Special to the Press Herald
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