It’s been over six years since the Cianbro Corp. published its feasibility study on the 220-mile strip of industrial development known as the East-West Corridor.

Since Cianbro CEO Peter Vigue met with strident opposition after airing his plan before the Penobscot County commissioners in Bangor in May 2013, the status of this construction project – which would be the largest in Maine’s history – has been shrouded in the same secrecy that has characterized the process all along.

No one in the affected regions asked for this project, no democratic process spawned it, yet many have experienced Cianbro employees showing up in our towns telling us, “This is going to happen.” As a result, many Maine citizens living near the proposed route continue to live with the stress of uncertainty, unable to make informed decisions about their futures.

In addition, many Maine working people who passionately believe that the East-West Corridor is inappropriate development for our state are spending their own money and time organizing and raising awareness about the effects of this project. There are no deep-pocketed corporations sponsoring the opposition.

It’s simply not right that a Maine corporation can wield this kind of power and control over Maine people, and what we have here is nothing more than a local example of the corrosive corporate hegemony extant in this country.

It’s past time for the Cianbro Corp. to step up, and not just make the process transparent, but also take this boondoggle of a project off the table once and for all.

Tod Cheney

Blue Hill

Copy the Story Link