Palermo resident proposes intervener status in LS Power issue

by Jonathan Strieff

The Palermo Town Council met Thursday, September 21, to finalize the necessary preparations for the special town meeting scheduled for the following day to vote on a proposed transmission line moratorium ordinance. The special meeting was called in response to public concern regarding the LS Power transmission line currently planned to connect the King Pine Wind, in Aroostook County, with regional power substation in Windsor. The board also met with a member of the study committee formed to gather more information about the project from the Public Utilities Commission and from spokespeople for LS Power.

The meeting began with council chairman Ilene McKenny, and council members Bob Kurek and Pam Swift, conferring with the town clerk about the required logistics to have in place ahead of Friday’s meeting. Based on interest expressed on the town’s Facebook page, the council anticipated the meeting could draw up to 80-100 residents and so prepared to host the meeting outside of the town office building.

After verifying the town’s voter list and voting cards were ready to be used, council members reviewed the proper procedural steps for the vote to take place; recitation of the pledge of allegiance, election of a meeting moderator by the council using a secret written ballot, reading of the proposed ordinance, followed by the formal vote. The council paid such careful attention to procedural details to avoid risking the vote being invalidated in a hypothetical legal challenge from LS Power. More than 60 residents turned out for the special town meeting and voted unanimously against the potential power line.

Next, resident Brooke DeLorme provided the council with updates from her ongoing work for the towns study committee on the transmission line project. Since the previous council meeting, DeLorme spoke at length with Harry Lanphear at the PUC and Jason Nivons from LS Power. After voicing frustration with limited documents made available to the public, DeLorme proposed that representatives from Palermo, Windsor, Unity, Albion, and Thorndike act together in applying for “intervener status” in the legal case granting LS Power the right to proceed with the project.

Intervener status would offer affected land owners, “a seat at the negotiating table” where the final decisions about the transmission line route will be made. Intervener status also grants access to over 100 private documents between the PUC and LS Power, include the power purchase agreement and transmission agreement, neither of which have yet been finalized. The council also voted to send notification postcards to more than 60 residents with property along the proposed route who were never contacted by LS Power.

A rally is scheduled for Saturday, October 14, at 11 a.m., at Capitol Park, in Augusta, across the street from the State House.