Judge: Work can continue on most of $1B corridor

PORTLAND, Maine — Construction on a 145mile electricity transmission corridor in western Maine can continue while litigation proceeds over a 1-mile section that was leased by the state, a state Supreme Court justice ruled.

Another judge previously vacated a lease of public land to Central Maine Power for a 1-mile section, and critics asked the Supreme Judicial Court to halt all construction until it’s settled by the courts.

In a ruling Wednesday, Supreme Court Justice Joseph Jabar denied the motion by opponents of the $1 billion project and allowed construction to continue on all portions except the leased section.

Wrangling continues over the New England Clean Energy Connect even though the project has been approved by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and others.