Livermore Falls voters Tuesday night oppose a proposed Central Maine Power transmission line. They also authorized selectmen to send a letter of opposition to CMP and other entities. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal
LIVERMORE FALLS — Voters Tuesday night opposed Central Maine Power’s proposed $1 billion, 145-mile transmission line through Western Maine.
The line would bring hydropower from Quebec to Lewiston for connection to the New England power grid.
Forty-eight of the town’s 1,897 registered voters attended the meeting, with five voting in favor of the project. The vote was by a show of hands.
About 8 miles of the high-voltage line would go through the town. CMP representatives previously said it would provide about $500,000 in new tax revenue to the town.
Residents also voted to authorize selectmen to submit a letter of opposition to CMP, New England Clean Energy Connect, the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Maine Land Use Planning Commission.
The proposal calls for NECEC to bring hydropower from Quebec via a transmission line through Franklin, Somerset and Androscoggin counties. The line through Maine would extend from Beattie Township on the Canadian border to Lewiston. About 53 miles of the 145 miles would be new transmission line.
Voters also approved spending $1,232 to cover a cost overrun in the 2018-19 contractual account for fire hydrants. Tax Collector Dawn Young, who put the budget together last year while the town manager was out on medical leave, said she took responsibility for the miscalculation.
The Livermore Falls Water District raised its rates, she said, and she misunderstood how the district’s fiscal year ran.
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