N.E. Clean Power Connect in Maine - Should we care ?

[B the Hiker]

I recollect from pre-colonial history class that the Native Americans in present-day New England used to purposefully burn large swaths of land on a regular basis. What a blatant disregard of their carbon footprint!

Recalling the Introduction from Reading the Forested Landscape, I believe most Novembers, many Native Americans burned out the understory, after the leaves had fallen, to make room for next year's blueberries.

Kind of non sequitor, given how series the need to renewable energy is right now. We are facing an existential crisis as a planet at the moment.

[richard]

Yeah, we’ve only got 8 more years! ��

[peakbagger]

A general observation is given how poorly the US has responded to the more immediate Covid crisis, I do not hold out a lot of hope on a unified rapid response to AGW.

[egilbe]

I've been out in the desert Southwest for the last few months. Currently staying on BLM land outside Pahrump. You would think the SW would be a mecca for solar power, wouldn't you? But, Pahrump citizens are protesting a plan by a California power company to build a solar farm nearby in the Mojave desert. Apparently, the desert is as fragile as Alpine zones. A thin crust builds up on the surface and it protects plant and animal life until the next rains come. Rare and endangered species, such as the Mojave tortoise burrow under that crust and hibernate. The crust is hard, doesn't blow around as dust. Once it's broken, the dust does blow and blows badly.

As an aside, who knew that Death Valley was so beautiful?

[peakbagger]

BTW, on more big powerline in Maine. This one seems to be far more legit.

[peakbagger]

An interesting article in the Indepth NH website describing the ISO NE grid being on the edge this winter due to natural gas supply issues and the lack of new power entering the region. http://indepthnh.org/2021/12/06/new-...outs-possible/ Its not a transcript but it looks like ISO is not planning to have CPC's contribution to the grid (it would not have been done by this winter)

I think this comment from the head of ISONE is telling Van Welie said he is disappointed that Maine residents voted against the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line, but said he could foresee two or three 1,200 MW lines bringing Canadian hydro power into New England, but they will be more expensive and take more time.

“People do not want to see (the transmission lines),” van Wilie said. “If you bury them, you lose the objection, but you incur a much higher price, but that is one way to solve the problem.”

My guess is at some point HQ will hook up with a company that buries the cables. The Portland Pipeline (running through my property) that runs from Portland to Montreal is effectively a stranded asset as there is no demand for their services of pumping crude oil to refineries in Montreal. It exists and could support several HVDC cables in place of empty oil lines. Plus I expect that there would be congressional support to run HVDC cables in Interstate hiighway right of ways. Not cheap but probably far less public objections.

This is not the first year with similar predictions. ISO-NE has been pushing hard to get involved in the natural gas system for several years but to date they have not been allowed to.

[peakbagger]

The judge threw out the CPC request for the injunction against enforcing the referendum. He also slammed CPC for claiming vested rights by spending a large amount of money $410 million to date to partially build the line despite losing a prior referendum.

https://www.wmtw.com/article/cmp-que...enied/38540972 No doubt its moving to higher court.

The big potential change is that buried in the new infrastructure bill is increased federal control of the siting of transmission lines critical for national environmental efforts. This was tried before under prior administrations, it looked like there was a lot of teeth to it, but court cases and state's rights ended up blunting the effort. It would be difficult to apply to CPC as it would open up the thorny issue that Hydro Quebec would not certify that this was actual new hydro generation (rather it was rebranded existing hydro backed potentially with fossil.). The other sticking point was that CPC was intended to be a private "merchant" transmission line rather than a public line. It would be questionable if the FERC would be allowed to force the construction of essentially a private transmission line. IMO if the FERC does force transmission corridors, they would probably force it in parallel to the existing public DC line that runs down the NH and VT border. The distance is shorter, and my guess is it would be buried. The governor of NH replaced all of the PUC commissioners who objected to Northern Pass with conservatives so another run for a transmission line in NH may turn out differently.

[peakbagger]

And now the next shoe to drop, it's off to the Maine Supreme Court who previously ruled that the prior people's referendum was invalid. https://bangordailynews.com/2022/01/...supreme-court/

[srhigham]

Mostly off topic, but the Winter/Spring 2022 Appalachia has an article summarizing the "nine-year fight" against Northern Pass. It's mostly a victory lap story for the AMC. They mention the Clean Energy Connect in passing at the end of the article as the next stage of the battle.

[skiguy]

Mostly off topic, but the Winter/Spring 2022 Appalachia has an article summarizing the "nine-year fight" against Northern Pass. It's mostly a victory lap story for the AMC. They mention the Clean Energy Connect in passing at the end of the article as the next stage of the battle.

I guess there will probably be an increase in AMC camps and lodging fees which some operate via a lease on public lands too pay for it then.����

[peakbagger]

Mostly off topic, but the Winter/Spring 2022 Appalachia has an article summarizing the "nine-year fight" against Northern Pass. It's mostly a victory lap story for the AMC. They mention the Clean Energy Connect in passing at the end of the article as the next stage of the battle.

I have been waiting for someone to come out with a book on the Northern Pass campaign. i think the personalities and twists and turns would provide plenty of background for a book.

[peakbagger]

Hydro Quebec temporarily shut down construction on the Canadian side of the line today.

[peakbagger]

The news this evening reported that Avangrid, CMP's owner has sued to overturn the second referendum. They successfully overturned to the first referendum. I do not believe the other lawsuit regarding the Bureau of Public Lands violating state law to sell a right of way to the project has been resolved. The utility claimed that they have work around for this issue but two other organizations claim to own development easements on the alternative routing.

[peakbagger]

Back in the news, two related cases in front of Maine Supreme Court

https://bangordailynews.com/2022/05/...supreme-court/

[peakbagger]

The appeal of the environmental permit was voted down

https://www.mainepublic.org/environm...rridor-permits

This was linked to the supreme court cases which have yet to be ruled on.

Given the push for a national Climate Emergency designation, it would be interesting to see if Mass tries to get the FERC to overrule the state referendums to allow the line to be built. That power for critical electrical infrastructure projects was given to FERC for many years but it really has not been used often and generally had been litigated all the way to the supreme court.