The New England Clean Energy Connect is a transmission line that will bring clean hydropower into Maine from Quebec. The power will then feed the entire New England grid, meaning Maine and our neighbors will be breathing cleaner air for decades to come.

Aside from the obvious environmental benefits of the NECEC, the project gives Maine’s business climate a badly needed economic jolt. The project creates 1,700 jobs annually and more than 3,000 during peak construction. NECEC will pump $1 billion into Maine’s economy over the next decade.

There aren’t many projects that come to Maine with a financial impact of that magnitude. It will provide tens of millions of dollars of tax benefits to towns near the transmission line, and thanks to the recent settlement negotiated by Gov. Janet Mills, another $10 million for economic development and promoting regional tourism to host communities.

Promoting these communities will bring more people to western Maine, a part of our state often overlooked by tourists. More tourism translates into more money being spent in these towns and will provide a huge financial boost to mom-and-pop stores up and down the route of the corridor.

Finally, the path of the corridor will likely create more trails for snowmobilers and four-wheeler clubs. It will also provide access to some parts of Western Maine which are very remote and open an entirely new part of our state.

NECEC is a key part of Maine’s future. It’s an opportunity we can’t afford to waste.

 

Tom Nason

Winthrop