CMP buys land to offset power project
Central Maine Power Co. is purchasing nearly 4,800 acres of land for conservation and giving $1.5 million to the state's conservation fund to offset the impact of its $1.4 billion transmission upgrade.
The utility is completing purchases of 13 parcels across the state, including 1,420 acres in West Forks and 1,191 acres in Richmond, and putting $1.5 million into a Maine Department of Environmental Protection conservation fund as stipulated by the state's May approval of its Maine Power Reliability Project, according to the Kennebec Journal. The project includes building or expanding substations and adding 440 miles of new transmission to Maine's grid, which will require filling in wetlands, changing the path of some streams and clearing forested areas. The company will transfer ownership or offer conservation easements on many of the properties to local groups.
Instead of paying the full value of the environmental impact to the DEP fund, CMP opted to identify specific parcels that conservation groups have wanted to protect, including the 470-acre Fowler Bog in Unity. "We were thrilled to have the chance to partner with CMP and get that done," Sebasticook Regional Land Trust Executive Director Jennifer Irving told the paper. The group will manage the property, an effort CMP will fund.
Go to the article from the Kennebec Journal >>
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