PORTLAND, Maine (AP) The secretary of state’s office must address whether some petitions used to put the proposed $1 billion New England Clean Energy Connect to a statewide vote were illegally obtained.
Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy this week gave Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap until April 1 to determine the validity of signatures gathered by opponents of utility corridor for Canadian hydropower.
A lawsuit contends notaries hired by opponents of the project engaged in other campaign activities, violating state law and possibly invalidating some signatures.
The lawsuit contends another 6,600 signatures could be invalid, putting the number below the threshold for the November ballot.
