September 17th Public Hearing Will Consider Appeal Asking for Improvements to Protect Mature Forests and Connected Wildlife Habitat
September 10, 2026 (Augusta, ME) – More than 2,000 Mainers have signed a petition calling for improvements to a flawed conservation plan that Central Maine Power (CMP) developed as mitigation for its New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) project.
On September 17, the Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) will consider an appeal by four of the state’s leading conservation groups asking that CMP be required to improve its plan to adequately protect and connect ecologically mature forests in western Maine, including through the purchase of at least 10,000 acres of additional forests that have taller and older trees.
“Most of Maine’s forest birds prefer older, more structurally complex forests for breeding, where there are plenty of places to build a nest, find food and water, and hide from predators. Yet young and intermediate-aged forest is exactly what Central Maine Power intends to provide. For the sake of our precious and struggling breeding forest birds, we hope the BEP seizes the opportunity to require CMP to do more,” said Tim Flight, President of Western Maine Audubon, a Chapter of Maine Audubon.
CMP filed its Conservation Plan with the Department of Environmental Protection in May 2025, allowing public comments to be filed in June, October, and November. There was nearly unanimous agreement in the more than 200 comments submitted by members of the public that CMP’s plan failed to meet the requirements of its permit and should be improved.
Despite overwhelming opposition by wildlife scientists, forestry experts, and Maine residents, the DEP approved the flawed plan on November 18, and conservation groups appealed the decision on December 18.
“As professional foresters, we were astonished by the lack of scientific credibility in the definition of ‘mature forest habitat’ that was approved by DEP, and the business-as-usual commercial forestry proposed for more than 80% of the conservation area,” said licensed foresters Robert Bryan of Harpswell and Paul Larrivee of New Gloucester.
In their appeal to the BEP, Appalachian Mountain Club, Maine Audubon, Natural Resources Council of Maine, and Trout Unlimited expressed strong concerns that allowing the flawed conservation plan to move forward would set a dangerous precedent that could allow future development projects to proceed without appropriately mitigating for the harm done to wildlife habitat, forestlands, and waterways.
Read more about Maine Audubon’s work on the CMP Conservation Plan:
- Conservation Groups File Appeal Urging CMP Compliance With Mature Forest Requirements (Dec. 18, 2025)
- NECEC’s Conservation Plan Was Not Fit for Approval (Nov. 21, 2025)
- Maine Audubon Comments on CMP’s New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) Conservation Plan (June 17, 2025)
