A recent letter to the editor omits numerous facts about the Clean Energy Corridor (“CMP corridor remains bad deal for Maine,” April 18).

The project received regulatory permits from the Maine’s Public Utilities Commission, Department of Environmental Protection, Land Use Planning Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Department of Energy. Are all of these organizations wrong, and project opponents (95% of which are funded by the fossil fuel industry) right?

Hydropower (which will run through the corridor) threatens to replace fossil fuel as an energy source, and that’s why out-of-state oil and gas companies have funneled $2 million through the front group Mainers for Local Power to get on the November ballot.

Now that the reader understands who is funding the referendum, we can discuss the misleading claims stated in the above-mentioned letter:

•Energy will go to Maine. The corridor will transmit power into the New England grid and Gov. Mills made sure Maine would get enough of that hydropower to meet the needs of 70,000 Maine homes — at discounted rates.

• The project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Maine PUC concluded that Québec hydropower deliveries over the corridor’s transmission line will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3 million metric tons per year.

• HQ can and will deliver on the contract. Hydropower will flow 24/7, supported by our ~37,000 MW of hydropower capacity.

• Facts do support our raindrop ad, which says: based on actual average production data and Maine household consumption statistics, half an inch of rainfall passing through turbines in Northern Québec can produce enough energy to power all Maine homes for half a year. It’s true!

The letter ends by stating that Mainers should not trust people from away. Should we trust project opponents who are more than happy to take millions of dollars — and a clean energy future — away from Maine?

Serge Abergel
director of communications
Hydro-Québec