It was a straightforward ballot question:  did Mainers want a massive power line running through their backyards delivering clean power to southern New England?

Most said no.  In last week’s election, after an intense campaign in which backers of the project wound up spending $289 for every vote they received in support, nearly 60% of Maine voters rejected a proposed New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) corridor, a transmission line designed to carry 1,200 megawatts of clean hydropower, enough to power roughly 1 million homes.

Maine voters may not get the last word, though.  The 145-mile transmission line is already under construction; indeed, Central Maine Power (CMP) has already plowed more than $400 million into the $1 billion project.  Its parent company, Avangrid, promptly filed suit in Maine Superior Court to overturn the result, as construction continued after last week’s vote, pending a final ruling from the courts.

The effects of Question 1, however, will mostly be felt elsewhere, not in Maine.  The project held the potential of satisfying one-sixth of the demand for electricity across Massachusetts, which was counting on NECEC to help it meet looming clean-energy targets.  Baker in 2016 signed a law directing Massachusetts utilities to procure approximately 9,450,000 megawatts-hours from clean energy sources, in order to reduce reliance on coal and nuclear plants.

As for NECEC, “I don’t see it as dead,” Gov. Charlie Baker said, adding that his administration has continued discussions with Avangrid as to what their next moves should be.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills and the Biden administration were also strong supporters of the project.  “My concern continues to be,” Mills said, that if NECEC is not built “Maine will lose a significant opportunity to advance the clean energy goals that are vital to combating climate change.”  She said she hopes the courts “act in a timely manner” to put this controversy to rest.