The Army Corps of Engineers has been reluctant to publish an Environmental Impact Statement on the effects of the CMP Corridor despite the overwhelming public requests including one from the Penobscot Indian Nation.
State and federal agency reviews of the proposed CMP corridor have revealed significant problems with the project, including a failure to properly assess alternatives that could have reduced the impact of the project on Maine’s environment and people.
- In May 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a strongly worded letter to the Army Corps saying it had major concerns with the review process as well as CMP’s inadequate permit application that failed to examine less-damaging alternatives.
- A document the groups obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) shows that the Corps and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have identified major problems with the CMP corridor, including the company’s claims about the proposal’s impact on the climate. The April 9, 2020, response from CMP’s parent company, Avangrid, to questions raised by the Corps also reveals that CMP is writing its own EA with coaching on how to address major areas of concern from the very federal agencies responsible for evaluating the project.
Here is a link to the SC press release: https://www.sierraclub.org/maine/blog/2020/10/environmental-groups-file-lawsuit-challenging-army-corps-for-indefensible-cmp
