The owner of the New England Clean Energy Connection transmission line corridor (NECEC) and its parent company filed a lawsuit in state court in Maine challenging a state law passed via direct initiative in early November 2021 that would retroactively ban completion and operation of the NECEC. The plaintiffs asserted that the law deprives the owner of its vested rights under federal and state permits, violates the Maine Constitution’s provision regarding separation of powers, and violates the prohibitions in the Maine and U.S. Constitutions on impairment of contracts. The plaintiffs alleged that the project, which would bring 1,200 megawatts of hydropower from Québec into Maine and the New England electric grid, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions “by the equivalent of removing 700,000 cars from the road each year the Project is in service.” 

Lawsuit challenging Maine law banning completion and operation of the New England Clean Energy Connection transmission line corridor, which would transport electricity from Canadian hydropower facilities into Maine and the New England electric grid.

NECEC Transmission LLC v. Bureau of Parks & Lands, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry

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Company Constructing Transmission Line for Canadian Hydropower Challenged Maine Law

Filed

United States of America

Maine

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Company Constructing Transmission Line for Canadian Hydropower Challenged Maine Law

Policy instrument

Risk

Impacted group

Renewable energy

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance