Maine supreme court breathes new life into power project [Video]

PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s highest court on Tuesday breathed new life into a $1 billion transmission line that aims to serve as a conduit for Canadian hydropower, ruling that a statewide vote rebuking the project was unconstitutional.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the retroactive nature of the referendum last year violated the project developer’s constitutional rights, sending it back to a lower court for further proceedings.

The court did not rule in a separate case that focuses on a lease for a 1-mile portion of the proposed power line that crosses state land.

Central Maine Power’s parent company and Hydro Quebec teamed up on the project that would supply up to 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower. That’s enough electricity for 1 million homes.

Most of the proposed 145-mile (233-kilometer) power transmission line would be built along existing corridors, but a new …