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Now that the Maine Supreme Court has breathed life back into the New England Clean Energy Connect, it is important to remember what this project offers Mainers.
First, it will lower our energy bills. Even the corridor’s most passionate opponents have admitted as much. The project would provide nearly $150 million in rate relief. At this point whatever savings it would provide would be more than welcome with energy prices as high as they are.
But there are other benefits not to be forgotten. The NECEC would provide millions in property taxes to the communities the corridor runs through. That is money to be spent however those towns see fit, whether it be to fund a new fire truck and fix a road full of potholes.
Environmental benefits should also not be ignored. The project would remove more than 3 million metric tons of carbon from our air annually for 40 years. It also would finally get the ball rolling as far as moving Maine and New England toward a renewable energy future.
We must stop relying solely on fossil fuels for our energy needs. Our bills are so high right now primarily because of the price of natural gas. Until we bring in more sources of energy, whatever they may be, we may very well be in the same situation for years to come.
Paul Mills
Owner
Mills Construction Co.
Brewer
