PORTLAND — Mayor Mark Dion will prepare and submit testimony to the Maine Public Utilities Commission in response to growing public concern over a Central Maine Power proposal to upgrade its electric grid in North Deering.
Public outcry over the project has snowballed over the last few weeks as residents have learned about the project, many from the appearance of lawn signs or from a neighbor knocking on their door.
CMP’s project would upgrade and rebuild transmission lines between Yarmouth and Portland, with a separate section in Westbrook, and according to the company, is designed to strengthen the energy grid in Greater Portland. The first phase of the project in the section north of Portland will cost an estimated $547 million.
The City Council on Monday unanimously approved a resolution authorizing Dion to prepare testimony after more than a dozen residents criticized the lack of public information and outlined concerns for expanding infrastructure that runs along property lines and recreational trails.
Following the council vote, Dion told the audience, “You’ve been heard, we’re going to do our best to stand … between (CMP) and you to get some good answers.”
Some told the council Monday that neighbors are still finding out about the project just days before a deadline to submit public testimony. A group organized as the Alliance for Responsible Infrastructure has notified and rallied neighbors in opposition, and urged Portland officials to independently verify the need for such upgrades.
Last week, the town of Falmouth passed a resolution in opposition to the project, asking regulators to consider alternatives.
In reviewing the proposal, the PUC is tasked with determining if the project would serve a public need. The review process, which typically takes a year, started in July. Residents pointed out that a Nov. 10 public meeting on the project in Portland takes place after the Oct. 30 deadline for testimony — a deadline that was originally a week earlier.
Dion said he’s spoken with CMP officials to relay the local concerns, and that as an intervener in the PUC process, Portland “will have a presence throughout.”
In Portland, the CMP line runs past residential areas between Ocean Avenue, past the former city landfill and dog park, crossing Ledgewood Drive and Allen Avenue Extension. Perhaps the most impacted neighborhood would be the area off Alice Street, Curtis Road and Hope Avenue, where the lines cross over backyards and sheds.
Ben Haber, who lives on Hope Avenue, told the council Monday that the project would “destroy the neighborhood,” and he asked officials to advocate on behalf of residents.
Charise Corsino, who lives on Curtis Road, said new poles could be as large as 110 feet tall, and that residents who simply want to know more about the plans have been stonewalled.
“The information has been deeply inadequate,” she told Portland councilors, arguing that Portland’s power needs “don’t require us to accept a massive buildout through existing neighborhoods.”
A CMP spokesperson previously told the Press Herald that with over 200,000 customers in Greater Portland, as well as critical facilities such as hospitals, schools and residences, the upgrades are needed to provide better protection from power outages.
The council was slated to discuss its legal rights later Monday in an executive session with an attorney who specializes in public utility processes.
The sustainability and transportation committee will hold a panel discussion Wednesday with Central Maine Power, citizen advocates and Maine Public Advocate Heather Sanborn.
DATA CENTERS
Also on Monday, the council voted unanimously to support a resolution that asks planning staff to draft new regulations on large data centers in the city.
Once drafted, the language would be considered by the planning board and then the City Council in response to concerns from officials and residents over the potential for data center development proposals coming forward without adequate guidelines.
Councilor Pious Ali, who forwarded the proposal, said “we have seen how it’s going in other parts of the country,” and that the planning board should review and “advise us accordingly.”