I’m a native Mainer now living in Brunswick. I’ve been listening to the arguments both for and against Central Maine Power’s New England Clean Energy project, which will bring hydropower from Quebec to Maine and New England. I have one question for opponents of NECEC: How can you say this project doesn’t have any benefits for Maine?

Let’s start with the jobs. NECEC will bring thousands of jobs to our state for the next few years. Those against it argue the jobs are temporary. Guess what? All construction jobs are temporary. But there are very few that will provide steady work like NECEC for the next several years and that also pay this well.

Let’s talk about the additional tax revenue and benefits NECEC will have in Maine. Many towns along the corridor will together gain millions of dollars in property tax relief. That’s badly needed money in some of these communities that they can then decide how to use.

But don’t forget the recreational benefits. NECEC will create more than 50 new miles of trails that we can all enjoy. It will also increase access to those trails and other trails that already exist.

There are also many environmental reasons to support NECEC. It will take major amounts of carbon out of the air we breathe every year. Mainers stand to gain so much from the project. That’s why I’m supporting it and I hope others will do the same.

 

Brett Doyon

Brunswick


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.