Everyone needs a little inspiration from time to time, and here's one that satisfies.
The New England Clean Energy Connect is a merchant project owned by Central Maine Power. It's purpose is to connect hydro generated electricity in Quebec to customers in Massachusetts. It's the product of a Massachusetts law to increase the use of renewable electricity in the state. When Massachusetts solicited proposals to fulfill its law, utility companies were falling all over themselves to score this huge money maker. The owners of the ill-fated Northern Pass project to move hydro through New Hampshire to Massachusetts were the first winners. However, they couldn't get approval from New Hampshire. Next winner was the NECEC project, and CMP has worked tirelessly to bang it out. But the people of Maine object to hosting this invasive and costly project for benefit of Massachusetts.
When I first started looking at this project, NECEC had a very neat list of localities that supported its project listed on their website. It sort of looked like Maine was for this project. But then the people found out about it. Opposition formed. And this opposition has plenty of moxie. It's snatched the possibility of victory from the jaws of defeat and is slowly turning things around.
What's moxie? A dictionary definition: force of character, determination, or nerve.
It came from a popular New England drink.
It also describes the people of New England. As a gal with deep New England roots, I've come to appreciate it. These people don't take crap from anyone, and they can be incredibly stubborn. They get things done. I mean, look at New Hampshire... its state motto is "Live free, or die." Die... that's some tough stuff. So it's completely unsurprising that the people of Maine weren't going to lie down and die without a fight. And what an inspirational fight it's been so far.
Early on in the process, CMP made a deal with some business and community interests along the transmission route to exchange cash and goodies for support. Except these interests represented just a small portion of those affected and didn't have the political clout to run roughshod over the majority. It was an expensive initiative that didn't really buy CMP much, it just created bad feelings among people on the route. It may have looked like the few were selling the many down river for their own private gain. The opposition didn't go away. It got stronger. It got more determined. It got moxie.
When CMP started to think it might lose recently, it (and Hydro Quebec, who stands to make billions off this deal) offered a package of "incentives" to Maine. Maine's new governor, Janet Mills, thinks the package will benefit the state and quickly signed on to support it. This was the jaws of defeat, opening wide. With political support and an incentives package for Maine on the table, many would have given up. But not Mainers. They took what was on the table and exposed it for what it really is... a mere pittance in cash for the average citizen coupled with a bunch of stuff they don't need, like electric heat pumps and electric car charging stations. Hmm... "incentives" that increase CMP profits. How generous!
And the opposition renewed its efforts to apply political pressure on the localities who had earlier issued letters of support for the project. They have been wildly successful. Earlier this week they reached an important pinnacle when the Town of Farmington overwhelmingly voted to rescind its prior letter of support and actively oppose NECEC. This was notable because Governor Janet Mills is from Farmington. She even attended the town meeting where the vote took place, and stood up to speak in favor of the project before the vote. The people were not swayed. Janet Mills lost the support of her hometown.
And just the other day, a bi-partisan group of Maine legislators held a news conference condemning the project. Several bills are in play that would cripple the project or cancel it altogether. Legislators are listening to the voters, and the voice of the people is getting increasingly loud. It's politics at its finest, democracy at work. If Mills and CMP want to play politics, the people will play politics, except with more moxie.
Governor Mills, CMP, and its supporters took a pretty pathetic defense. They chose to accuse their opposition of being funded by "dark money." Now anyone who is successful in their opposition to corporate energy interests is going to be accused of being funded by "dark money." It's the environmentalist's ad hominem argument du jour. And it's pure crap. Opposition group leaders routinely joke about the paychecks from the Koch brothers that never come. We're not being funded by outside interests, and it's insulting to try to demean us by saying we are. There are absolutely no facts to support these "dark money" accusations. And you know what it does? It's like passing around a vat of moxie. It pisses us off! It makes us even more determined. If any of these accusations were even remotely true, the opposition would be too scared to continue. But they are not true and therefore only cause opposition to dig in its heels deeper and fight even harder. Was that the effect CMP was going for?
So, if you need a little inspiration for your own fight, keep your eye on Maine. Here's just one of the many news stories about this battle. The people are in it for the win.
The New England Clean Energy Connect is a merchant project owned by Central Maine Power. It's purpose is to connect hydro generated electricity in Quebec to customers in Massachusetts. It's the product of a Massachusetts law to increase the use of renewable electricity in the state. When Massachusetts solicited proposals to fulfill its law, utility companies were falling all over themselves to score this huge money maker. The owners of the ill-fated Northern Pass project to move hydro through New Hampshire to Massachusetts were the first winners. However, they couldn't get approval from New Hampshire. Next winner was the NECEC project, and CMP has worked tirelessly to bang it out. But the people of Maine object to hosting this invasive and costly project for benefit of Massachusetts.
When I first started looking at this project, NECEC had a very neat list of localities that supported its project listed on their website. It sort of looked like Maine was for this project. But then the people found out about it. Opposition formed. And this opposition has plenty of moxie. It's snatched the possibility of victory from the jaws of defeat and is slowly turning things around.
What's moxie? A dictionary definition: force of character, determination, or nerve.
It came from a popular New England drink.
It also describes the people of New England. As a gal with deep New England roots, I've come to appreciate it. These people don't take crap from anyone, and they can be incredibly stubborn. They get things done. I mean, look at New Hampshire... its state motto is "Live free, or die." Die... that's some tough stuff. So it's completely unsurprising that the people of Maine weren't going to lie down and die without a fight. And what an inspirational fight it's been so far.
Early on in the process, CMP made a deal with some business and community interests along the transmission route to exchange cash and goodies for support. Except these interests represented just a small portion of those affected and didn't have the political clout to run roughshod over the majority. It was an expensive initiative that didn't really buy CMP much, it just created bad feelings among people on the route. It may have looked like the few were selling the many down river for their own private gain. The opposition didn't go away. It got stronger. It got more determined. It got moxie.
When CMP started to think it might lose recently, it (and Hydro Quebec, who stands to make billions off this deal) offered a package of "incentives" to Maine. Maine's new governor, Janet Mills, thinks the package will benefit the state and quickly signed on to support it. This was the jaws of defeat, opening wide. With political support and an incentives package for Maine on the table, many would have given up. But not Mainers. They took what was on the table and exposed it for what it really is... a mere pittance in cash for the average citizen coupled with a bunch of stuff they don't need, like electric heat pumps and electric car charging stations. Hmm... "incentives" that increase CMP profits. How generous!
And the opposition renewed its efforts to apply political pressure on the localities who had earlier issued letters of support for the project. They have been wildly successful. Earlier this week they reached an important pinnacle when the Town of Farmington overwhelmingly voted to rescind its prior letter of support and actively oppose NECEC. This was notable because Governor Janet Mills is from Farmington. She even attended the town meeting where the vote took place, and stood up to speak in favor of the project before the vote. The people were not swayed. Janet Mills lost the support of her hometown.
And just the other day, a bi-partisan group of Maine legislators held a news conference condemning the project. Several bills are in play that would cripple the project or cancel it altogether. Legislators are listening to the voters, and the voice of the people is getting increasingly loud. It's politics at its finest, democracy at work. If Mills and CMP want to play politics, the people will play politics, except with more moxie.
Governor Mills, CMP, and its supporters took a pretty pathetic defense. They chose to accuse their opposition of being funded by "dark money." Now anyone who is successful in their opposition to corporate energy interests is going to be accused of being funded by "dark money." It's the environmentalist's ad hominem argument du jour. And it's pure crap. Opposition group leaders routinely joke about the paychecks from the Koch brothers that never come. We're not being funded by outside interests, and it's insulting to try to demean us by saying we are. There are absolutely no facts to support these "dark money" accusations. And you know what it does? It's like passing around a vat of moxie. It pisses us off! It makes us even more determined. If any of these accusations were even remotely true, the opposition would be too scared to continue. But they are not true and therefore only cause opposition to dig in its heels deeper and fight even harder. Was that the effect CMP was going for?
So, if you need a little inspiration for your own fight, keep your eye on Maine. Here's just one of the many news stories about this battle. The people are in it for the win.
RSS Feed