PORTLAND, Maine — Leaders of Central Maine Power and the proposed CMP transmission corridor project say they are appealing this week’s court ruling on the corridor to the Maine Supreme Court. The company’s statement says the state Bureau of Public Lands has also filed a notice of appeal.
The appeal has been expected, but neither the company nor the state agency had made any comment on the case until now, other than that they were reviewing the decision by Justice Michaela Murphy.
The statement from CMP and the corridor was brief:
"Today, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands filed a notice to appeal a Superior Court decision about BPL leasing practices. As one of many current leaseholders impacted by the court’s ruling, CMP and NECEC LLC also filed a notice of appeal."
NECEC refers to the New England Clean Energy Connect, the term proponents use for the corridor.
On Thursday, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection notified the company it is starting the procedure to suspend the permit for construction of the corridor as a result of the court ruling and gave the corridor proponents and CMP 15 days to decide if they want to request a hearing on the matter. There was no mention of that in today’s statement.
Justice Murphy’s decision indicated the court expected an appeal, but there is no information yet on how long it may take for the Law Court to hear and decide on the appeal.