Driver killed after hitting falling tree in wind storm
A blustery storm that whipped gusts up to 60 mph in New England has left tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the dark. The high winds Wednesday night knocked down trees and limbs, and downed power lines and utility poles, across the region. More than 30,000 homes and businesses were without electricity Thursday morning after the worst of the winds had died down in New England. In New Hampshire, where the wind gusted to 60 mph in some areas, a driver was killed after hitting a tree that was falling across a road at the time. Police didn’t immediately say that the weather caused the tree to fall.
Maine State News
Consumer-owned utility referendum certified for ballot
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The secretary of state’s office has certified an adequate number of voter signatures for a referendum on a proposal to replace Maine’s privately owned electric utilities with a consumer-owned Pine Tree Power Company. The state certified 69,735 valid signatures, surpassing the threshold by more than 6,000. That means that the proposal will go to the Maine Legislature for considering. If it isn’t passed by lawmakers, then it would go to state voters in November.
New England senators seek help to avoid energy disruptions
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Senators from Connecticut, Vermont and Maine called on the Biden administration Tuesday to bring together federal, state and regional officials to find ways to prevent possible energy disruptions this winter across New England. The region is heavily dependent on natural gas and subsequently impacted by the war in Ukraine and tight global energy supplies. In a letter sent Tuesday, the senators also urged Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to leverage resources within her department to help bring non-fossil fuel energy as quickly as possible to the region and to review any available emergency powers. The DOE says it’s closely monitoring winter fuel availability.