PORTLAND, Maine — Partners on a $1 billion project aimed at bringing Canadian hydropower to the New England power grid are trying to sort out how cost increases during lengthy litigation will be shared, in hopes of getting the stalled project moving.

A provision in a spending bill approved Thursday by the Massachusetts House would open the door to a renegotiation of the transmission project between the developers and Massachusetts utilities. The original contract called for the project to be funded entirely by Massachusetts ratepayers; negotiations would determine how any additional costs would be shared.

Lauren Diggin from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources said she was thankful to the House for including language needed to jump-start the so-called New England Clean Energy Connect.

“Completion of the NECEC line is important for Massachusetts customers. This project will help stabilize our electric rates, provide clean, reliable winter energy supply, and reduce the state’s emissions,” Diggin said a statement.

The bill must still be approved by the Massachusetts Senate and signed by Gov. Maura Healey before becoming law.

The state of Maine lifted its stop-work order nearly two months ago, but construction has not yet resumed on the project, which has had a tortured history despite being backed by sitting Republican and Democratic governors in Maine and clearing every regulatory hurdle.

The final obstacle was a lawsuit by developers over a Maine referendum in which 59% of voters rebuked the project, causing construction to halt.

In April, a jury in Maine ruled that developers, Central Maine Power’s corporate parent and Hydro-Quebec, completed enough work to have a vested rights to finish the project. A month later, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection restored permits for the project.

Avangrid, CMP’s parent, declined comment. A Hydro-Quebec spokesperson said work has resumed at an electrical converter site and that crews are being mobilized for transmission line work on the Canadian side of the border.

Avangrid and Hydro-Quebec partnered on the project to build a power line to serve as a conduit for up to 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower with a goal of meeting green energy goals in Massachusetts. That represents enough electricity for about 1 million homes.