L'état du Maine veut refaire son réseau d'électricité et doit faire face à des forces qui veulent protéger les milieux humides et proposent plutôt des mesures d'économies d'énergie et des panneaux solaires. Parmis les opposants au projet du Maine est le Sierra Club qui affirme que le projet de $1,6 milliards pourrait détruire 385 acres de milieux humides et 1,200 pieds linéaires de cours d'eau. Selon le Clean Water Act, le U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ne peuvent pas émettre de permis si un projet a une alternative moins dommageable pour l'environnement et plus pratique.
Selon le Sierra Club, le CMP (Central Maine Power Co.) pourrait rencontrer ses objetifs avec des solutions de rechange et va prendre des mesures légales pour faire respecter la loi s'il le faut. Le CMP veut améliorer son réseau désuet entre Orrington et la frontière du New Hampshire. Les opposants se réfèrent à un rapport soumis par le Maine Public Utilities Commission l'automne passé qui déclarait que le Maine pouvait avoir un réseau électrique sûr beaucoup moins dispendieux et avec considérablement moins de tours de transmission.
On insiste beaucoup sur l'importance de préserver les milieux humides car ils sont les pouponnières des poissons, un habitat pour la faune et une protection contre les innondations dans les bassins versants habités. Malgré tout, les étangs et les milieux humides sont continuellement égouttés, remplis et remblayés. Le Sierra Club dit que sa lutte contre ce corridor de transmission réflète sa détermination de combattre toute perte de milieux humides et avoue avoir d'autres motifs: promouvoir les énergies renouvelables, l'efficacité énergétique et la réduction des émissions des gaz à effet de serre dans l'état du Maine.
"Sierra Club fights CMP project
Central Maine Power Co.'s proposal to upgrade the reliability of its transmission system faces a new threat: wetlands.The Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club says the $1.6 billion project would destroy 385 acres of wetlands and 1,200 linear feet of streams. In a letter dated March 15, it told the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the agency can't approve construction if there are alternatives that reduce the impact on the environment. A strict standard under the Clean Water Act says the corps cannot issue wetlands permits for any project if a "less environmentally damaging, practicable alternative" exists.
In the Sierra Club's view, CMP could meet the objectives of its new line with non-transmission alternatives. The group says it will take legal action, if needed, to enforce the law. In recent weeks, Carroll said, the project has received a draft permit from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, an indication to him that the design is on the right track. A key staff opinion on the case is due next month, and the commission is likely to decide later this spring. CMP wants to upgrade an aging network that runs from Orrington to the New Hampshire border. Opponents, including environmental groups and residents near the transmission corridor, point to a PUC (Maine Public Utilities Commission) staff advisory report released last fall. It concluded that Maine could have a reliable power grid for much less money and with far fewer transmission towers than CMP is proposing.
The Sierra Club has embraced that analysis. It says CMP could do the job with non-transmission alternatives that combine energy efficiency, smart-grid functions and a proposal to generate electricity from solar panels to meet peak demand on hot summer days. The solar alternative is being promoted by a Portland-based company, Grid Solar, which is trying to undermine CMP's case before the PUC. In a separate letter dated Feb. 9, Grid Solar raises similar wetlands and Clean Water Act issues with the Army Corps.
Wetlands are nurseries for fish, habitat for wildlife and buffers against floods in populated watersheds. But marshes and swamps continue to be filled in, and the Sierra Club says its stance on the transmission corridor reflects its broader dedication to fighting any loss of wetlands. Amborn acknowledged that the group has a second motivation: promoting what it calls a progressive energy policy in Maine that favors renewables, efficiency and steps to reduce emissions associated with climate change. "This is a wetlands issue, but it's also an energy issue," Amborn said. "We're serious about protecting wetlands and supporting a more diverse energy plan for Maine." "
Excerpts from article written by Tux Turkel published in The Portland Press Herald here: http://www.pressherald.com/news/sierra-club-fights-cmp-project_2010-03-24.html
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