In a usually uneventful off-year election, Maine voters sparked headlines by rejecting, by a 60% majority in a statewide referendum, Central Maine Power’s $1-billion hydropower corridor project under construction, as utility owner Avangrid filed suit the next day, claiming the measure violates state and federal law.

公用事业花费超过9000万美元leading up to the referendum measure, which sought to ban the 145-mi New England Clean Energy Corridor that would create a transmission system to import hydroelectric power from Quebec into the New England grid. The measure also sets a new requirement for legislative oversight of similar projects in the future.

Question 1 sought voter okay of an “act to require legislative approval of certain transmission lines, require legislative approval of certain transmission lines and facilities and other projects on public reserve lands and prohibit the construction of certain transmission lines in the Upper Kennebec region [of Maine]," said a statement from its backers issued earlier this year. They said then that, If enacted, the law will be retroactive and effectively block the project.

CMPparent Avangrid announced the suit, filed late on Nov. 3 in Maine Superior Court, claiming the referendum is "unconstitutional and violates both state and federal law." It also asks the court for an immediate injunction preventing retroactive enforcement against the project, "so that ongoing time-sensitive and essential construction is not disrupted while this lawsuit proceeds," said Thom Dickenson, CEO of Avangrid unit NECEC Transmission LLC, in a statement. He said the firm expects the court to rule on the injunction request "promptly."

去年缅因州的高等法院驳回了类似的反犯罪措施，因为违宪，裁定它篡夺了赋予监管机构的权力。

Dickinson said the measure "was an act of bad faith by self-interested proponents and was targeted at stopping a single project.” The utility and project supporters have contended that "fossil fuel interests" financially backed the referendum campaign.

He said the firm has "followed the rules every step of the way in a transparent and public process and received every state and federal regulatory approval required for this project to proceed." Three environmental groups have sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, however, seeking to have the court order it to perform a more stringent environmental review.

The transmission link is mostly being built on land owned or controlled by Central Maine Power,which claimedthat the project will make energy, environmental and economic improvements in Maine and New England, with opponents disputing some of the arguments.

除了扩大现有的走廊以设置电线杆和弦线新线路外，承包商Cianbro Corp.和Irby Construction还设置了在缅因州刘易斯顿建造一个2.5亿美元的转换器站，Avangrid先前说。

项目完成定于2023年

建造began in early 2021 and to date, about 124 miles of the transmission corridor have been cleared and about 120 structures installed, said NECEC on Nov. 3. About 53 miles of new corridor on working forest land were set to rely on a new clearing method of tapered vegetation, according to Avangrid.

预计到2023年第二季度完成工作，以向刘易斯顿枢纽提供1,200兆瓦的加拿大可再生水电，马萨诸塞州纳税人支付的费用。18luck.cub当地媒体说，到目前为止，Avangrid估计对该项目进行了3亿美元的投资。

但是，反对者仍然坚决努力结束建设。

“The vote sends a message to CMP that Mainers want to reject this corridor," said Sandi Howard, director of No CMP Corridor. "They want to preserve the integrity of western Maine and ... don’t trust CMP to develop a project of this magnitude.”

The vote now heads for signature or veto by Gov. Janet Mills (D), who announced that她投票“不”on the measure. “Fundamentally for me, it’s not about CMP. It’s about climate change," she said in a radio address. "We need clean energy. We need reliable electricity. We have got to turn down the furnace and … say no to fossil fuels.”

If enacted, the measure would take effect on Jan. 3.

新英格兰北部大西洋国家木匠区域委员会的区域经理金·霍坎森（Kim Hokanson）表示，该工会已与米尔斯（Mills）和CMP合作，以保留该项目的工作，其中还包括非工会工人。

“随着工作将停滞不前，这将使州长和所有人都有机会解决缅因州公民的担忧。”她告诉恩。新利luck“尽管这个项目没有产生很多木匠时间，但我们期待着解决解决方案。”

Some Money Measures Win Big, Others Fall Flat

Maine voters were more willing to endorse transportation construction, approving by a large margin the state’s third transportation bond proposal in two years—a $100-million measure that, combined with federal matching funds, will pay for 50 bridge projects, as well as highway upgrades, maintenance work and railroad, transit and port initiatives. Generally popular among Maine voters, bonds have increasingly become a go-to source to address revenue shortfalls, as the state legislature has been unable to agree on a long-term funding plan.

In the only other statewide industry-related measure, a voter-approved amendment to the Texas state constitution allows counties to issue bonds or notes for non-tolled transportation infrastructure in underdeveloped areas. Incorporated cities and towns were already authorized to use this funding option, which is repaid via property tax revenue.

有史以来最大的沃思堡（Fort Vorth）的一项耗资12亿美元的学校建设和翻新债券提案在11月3日获得了狭窄的批准，尽管城市选民拒绝了另外三项校建计划，总计3亿美元。

Of climate- and energy-related proposals on ballots, the most successful was Virginia Beach, Va.’s $568-million bond issue to bolster city defenses in the face of more frequent and severe flooding events attributed in part to rising sea levels.

该措施获得了超过70％的选民批准，为15亿美元的防洪计划提供了初始阶段，其中包括建造新的泵站和潮汐大门，排水系统的改进和道路高程。一个占地100英亩的城市拥有的高尔夫球场还将关闭并转换为雨水收集设施。

But in Richmond, s proposal for a $650-million casino complex, which was touted as a potential economic stimulus for the city’s southside neighborhoods, was narrowly rejected in a vote tally not clear until Nov. 3.

然而,俄亥俄州哥伦布市的选民defeate良好d a controversial proposal to commit $87 million toward advancing energy efficiency efforts in the city. Coming in the wake of last year’s successful vote to transition Columbus to 100% renewable energy, the measure would have established programs to subsidize electric customers’ bills and fund education and minority business enterprise efforts, all of which would be directed by the proposal’s small, secretive group of proponents.

市长安德鲁·金瑟（Andrew Ginther）称该提议为“城市历史上最大的骗局”，领导了反对该措施的市政官员的合唱，仅是因为俄亥俄州最高法院的裁决。

Also losing big at the polls in Boston was a non-binding referendum gauging support for a controversial proposal to build a new electrical substation to serve the city’s eastern neighborhoods, which include Logan International Airport. Although energy provider Eversource claimed the facility was needed to meet growing power needs, more than 80% of voters agreed with opponents’ contentions that it would exacerbate existing environmental problems and be vulnerable to flooding.

In Denver, nearly 60% of voters rejected a ballot measure that would have authorized the city to issue $190 million in bonds for a new arena at the National Western Complex, a mixed-use project under construction on the city’s north side. Plans for a third phase of the development include a 10,000-seat arena to replace the aging Denver Coliseum that was supported by Mayor Michael Hancock and area developers, but strongly opposed by neighborhood groups who claim it would worsen traffic and air pollution.

But voters did approve nearly $260 million in bonds for other city improvements and passed an ordinance to ban commercial development on a 155-acre former golf course in east Denver, preferring to retain it as open space. The ordinance gives city voters the right to approve any development on the privately owned property governed by a city-owned conservation easement. Owner Westside Investment Partners wants a mixed-use development there.

An economic development proposal also came up short in Albuquerque, as voters rejected a $50-million bond measure to help fund a multi-use downtown stadium, but several smaller bond proposals for facilities, infrastructure and energy conservation passed, most by wide margins.

Va. Gov.-Elect Said Little on Infrastructure, Reelected NJ Gov Propels Clean Energy

Glenn Youngkin, the business executive who defeated Democrat and former Gov.Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia's governor's race, has joined other Republicans in criticizing the scope and scale of President Joe Biden’s spending proposals, but has said little about his plans for Virginia’s infrastructure programs.

麦考利夫had the supportof the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance, a 300-firm political action group that cited his efforts to boost transportation project investment and protect state funding.

During the campaign, Youngkin repeatedly faulted Virginia’s 2020 Clean Economy Act, which sets an aggressive agenda for developing renewable energy and shuttering fossil fuel power plants. While he is not opposed to wind and solar energy projects, Youngkin claims the transition places an unfair cost burden on utility ratepayers and will not support a growing economy.

Youngkin在今年秋天的电视辩论中说：“我相信在所有能源中，我们都可以使用风和太阳能，但是我们需要保留清洁的天然气，实际上我们可以拥有可靠的能源网格。”

Youngkin也对建设公私合作伙伴关系并不陌生。在担任Carlyle Group Global Investment公司的共有三年的联合首席执行官中，他帮助达成了肯尼迪国际机场74亿美元终端项目的融资协议。他的2020年离开公司出发，在凯雷（Carlyle）业务的其他领域以及与现在领导该公司的联合首席执行官Kewsong Lee发生冲突的报告中，他的州长竞标始于财务收入。

弗吉尼亚州大会的构成可能会构成Youngkin计划的障碍。尽管周二的结果可能使共和党人在州议会大厦占多数，但民主党人在州参议院保留了多数席位，今年没有参加选举。

That may make it more difficult for Youngkin to deliver on campaign promises such as a $1.8-billion package of one-time reductions that would be funded by Virginia’s projected $2.6-billion state budget surplus. Much of the surplus is already committed to other uses under state law, however, including a $1.1-billion contribution to the state’s reserves, $314 million for water quality improvement projects and $116 million to the state’s transportation trust fund.

Virginians could face additional legislative uncertainty, as 2020 federal census data did not arrive in time for the state to adjust House district boundaries in accordance with population shifts. One pending lawsuit would require the state to hold an election using redrawn House districts next year, followed by constitutionally scheduled legislative elections in 2023.

在新泽西州，今年唯一以州长投票的州，现任民主党人菲尔·墨菲（Phil Murphy）以50.4％的利润率对共和党商业主管和前立法者杰克·齐亚特利（Jack Ciattarelli）赢得了连任，直到晚上一直尚不清楚，直到晚上，这一比例尚不清楚11月3日。Ciattarelli于11月12日承认选举，没有进行投票。

Finally conceding on Nov. 10 is Stephen M. Sweeney, a union iron worker, international union vice president and veteran New Jersey Democratic lawmaker who had served as state Senate President since 2010, almost one week after the Associated Press called the race for his Republican opponent, truck driver Edward Durr, by a 52% to 48% margin, in what is described as a major upset.

Despite some losses of Democratic lawmakers, Murphy propelled the state''s aggressive clean energy program, announcing on Nov. 10 an executive order for a 50% cut in greenhouse gas emissions below the 2006 level by 2030, in what he termed a "course acceleration." The state program now includes major deployment of offshore wlnd power as a new jobs-producing industry, vehicle electrification and power grid modernization, but the governor did not outline any further steps to meet the new emissions cut target.

国家环保主义者称赞该命令，但一位企业集团主管称其为“不切实际和不现实”。