As you’ll see from the map above, there’s an interesting omission from the “shovel-ready” long-distance electric transmission lines that a report says should be pursued to generate jobs and clean energy for the U.S.
The Quebec-Maine interconnect – much-debated cousin to the never-built Northern Pass through N.H. – isn’t on it. A similar but shorter link in Vermont is included.
I’m surprised at the Maine omission, since work has sort of already started there, although it faces yet more regulatory/legal challenges and isn’t a done deal. Not being on a list from a group called Americans for a Clean Energy Grid seems like a real slap in the face, if nothing else.
Here’s a CleanTechnica article about the study, which includes links to the full report.
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Need to understand where this comes from as to why Maine was omitted. Also none of these are shovel ready if they still need permitting etc
Here here! Maine’s CMP should get a “slap in the face” as it is neither clean nor renewable, in spite of what Hydro Quebec would have us believe! There is an even longer ‘green space’ impact than Northern Pass would have had, the power won’t serve Maine to any significant degree, and the “clean” hydro of Quebec is anything but that with all of the methane it is producing in flooded waterways.
But what’s your alternative? Keep burning lots of natural gas carried on pipelines from out of state? Restart Maine Yankee? More wind farms on Maine ridgelines? Merely saying “it isn’t green enough!” is no longer enough; we need to ramp up lots of alternatives to fossil fuels, not just the ones that are perfect, and we need to do it fast.
So many projects aren’t perfect, or perfect enough for my neighborhood, that nothing ever happens.
One thing that seems to always be missing in the discussion is the viability of widespread energy use reduction through a robust efficiency program. With large government subsidies for energy efficient appliances, home and business weatherizing and a myriad of other measures we can reduce our energy need quite easily and in a short period of time. Energy efficiency should be on the top of the list to address our energy needs.
your so right