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V O L . X X V I I N O. X X V N OV E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 2 1 8 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E Welcome to the team, Susan! We are excited to announce that Susan Mellon has joined our team as Executive Vice President, Customer Experience & Market Expansion. She will be responsible for overseeing the bank's retail banking, residential mortgage lending, and marketing efforts. "I am energized by Maine Community Bank's unwavering commitment to their customers and communities, and look forward to contributing to the bank's growth here in Maine," said Mellon. "If you're looking for a bank that's always in your corner, contact us today!" 1-833-762-0313 mainecb.com The Maine Community Foundation in Ellsworth announced that its Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Fund has increased by 34% since 2019. In 2021, the foundation awarded $202,000 to 25 Maine organizations, municipalities and tribes, compared with $151,000 in 2019. OTELCO, a wireline telecommunica- tions company in New Gloucester, said that the first six miles of the Old Town Orono Fiber Corp. network were activated, making service available to approximately 400 locations. Another 49 miles, serving 3,550 customers, are scheduled to be constructed. Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor announced that it has established a $17 an hour minimum wage and other wage adjustments estimated to benefit nearly 2,000 employees. P O L I T I C S & C O. CMP Corridor, rejected at the polls, heads to court B y M a i n e b i z S t a f f I t has been said that Mainers often favor clean energy initiatives, but stop short of actually supporting them if it affects their view. And that was certainly the case on election day, when voters shot down the $1 billion CMP Corridor. Maine voters overwhelmingly supported Question 1, which seeks to block the New England Clean Energy Connect trans- mission project that would bring hydropower from Quebec to the New England region. About 124 miles of the transmis- sion corridor have already been cleared in western Maine. Avangrid Inc. (NYSE: AGR), the parent company of Central Maine Power and NECEC Transmission LLC, quickly filed a lawsuit Nov. 3, the day after the election. The suit argues that Question 1 was unconstitutional and violated state and federal laws. The lawsuit, filed in Maine Superior Court in Portland, also contended that the effort was an attempt to cancel a 25-year lease between NECEC and the state of Maine and violated contract clauses intended to protect the sanctity of such contracts from intrusion by the government. NECEC asks the Superior Court for an immediate injunction preventing retroactive enforcement of the initiative against the project, so that ongoing construction was not disrupted while the lawsuit proceeds before the courts. NECEC expects the Superior Court to rule on the injunction request promptly. Opponents quickly chimed in on the legal action. "I was angered to learn of Avangrid's legal strategy to overturn the will of an overwhelming majority of Maine vot- ers," said Sandra Howard, director of No CMP Corridor. "The people of Maine strongly and clearly rejected the NECEC project at the ballot box. CMP should respect the vote of Maine citizens and immediately stop the continued destruc- tion of our precious forest and its habitat." P H O T O / C R E D I T A rendering of the CMP electricity transmission corridor. N O T E W O R T H Y N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y O F N E W E N G L A N D C L E A N E N E R G Y C O N N E C T

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