AUGUSTA — An opposition group to the proposed Central Maine Power corridor said Feb. 3 that it submitted more than 75,000 signatures from registered Maine voters to the Secretary of State opposing the corridor following a statewide effort mustered by more than 400 volunteers. 

The citizen’s initiative is spearheaded by the No CMP Corridor organization, which held a press conference in Augusta today to announce the submission of signatures to the Secretary of State. 

The Maine Secretary of State’s office now will begin the process of certifying the signatures and if the total number of valid signatures is above the minimum threshold of 63,067 registered voters, the measure may be placed on a statewide referendum ballot for the November 2020 elections. 

At the press conference, the organization noted the grassroots effort collected signatures from Mainers spanning more than 400 towns. 

“The long hours our volunteers spent collecting signatures in the dead of winter has paid off,” said Tom Saviello, co-chair of No CMP Corridor in a press release. “Because of them, we no longer have to sit back while unelected bureaucrats call the shots on this billion dollar project. This November, the people of Maine will have the opportunity to say ‘No’ to this terrible project.”

“I want to thank every individual and organization who engaged in this effort as a volunteer, a petition signer, or as an ally to oppose the CMP corridor,” said Sandi Howard, co-chair of No CMP Corridor in a press release. “As we have already seen, CMP and Hydro-Quebec are prepared to spend millions of dollars to protect their interests so this billion dollar project goes through. But we have what they can't buy — and that's the will of the people of Maine.”

The Secretary of State’s Office has 30 days to certify the petitions and determine if the threshold of registered voters signatures has been met.

The Secretary of State announced in an news release that the petitioners reported an estimated 75,253 signatures certified by municipalities.

If this effort is certified to have the required number of valid signatures, it will go before the Legislature for consideration. If the Legislature declines to enact it without change, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap will draft the ballot question and accept public input on the wording. The finalized question would then go before voters at the Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 General Election.