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The Northern Pass

McAllaster Farm photo

Northern Pass was denied a Certificate of Site and Facility by a 7-0 vote by the Site Evaluation Committee on February 1, 2018.  Click here to learn more. 

 

Issue Brief: 

Northern Pass, a corporate partnership between Eversource and Hydro-Quebec proposes to construct a 192-mile, high-voltage transmission line from Canada through New Hampshire. The project was introduced to the public in October 2010 as a private "merchant project" and shortly thereafter became one of the most controversial proposals the state has ever seen. More than 30 towns voted to oppose the project, thousands of individuals have expressed their opposition to the Department of Energy, and more than 8,000 people signed a petition urging Gov. Hassan to insist on burial of Northern Pass if it is ever built.

Existing and proposed transmission lines in northern New England
 Early threats by the developers to use eminent domain led to the passing of HB648, which clarifies New Hampshire law in regards to prohibiting merchant transmission line projects from using eminent domain. In response, Northern Pass spent $40 million buying land in order to gain access to a potential route. However, the Forest Society worked with local landowners to block the route, and today Northern Pass does not have legal access to its preferred route.

That has not (yet) prevented Northern Pass from attempting to proceed. They have filed for a requisite Presidential Permit, and the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) has commissioned an Environmental Impact Statement. The DOE released its draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on July 21.  It also announced public hearings on this DEIS that were subsequently cancelled (to be re-scheduled later this year), because Northern Pass announced a new proposed route on August 18.  The new Northern Pass preferred alternative was not studied in the DEIS, requiring DOE to prepare a supplemental DEIS, which will evaluate the new preferred route in context with alternatives studied.  

 
On the state side, Northern Pass submitted its project application to the N.H. Site Evaluation Committee (SEC) in mid-October.  The SEC permit is the most critical permit needed for the project to advance.  Our goal is to convince the SEC to say a clear “NO” to the project as most recently proposed.   

 

Forest Society Position: 
The Forest Society believes that if the Northern Pass transmission line is to be built, it should be buried in its entirety along existing transportation corridors. Similar projects in Vermont (The New England Clean Power Link) and Maine by other transmission developers are moving forward as buried projects.
 
From the Forest Society's point of view as a land trust, we have concluded:

• We must defend conservation lands. This proposal for the largest-ever power line in New Hampshire would cross and have detrimental impacts on thousands of acres of protected conservation lands. Some of these are lands owned by the Forest Society and many are private lands on which the Forest Society holds permanent conservation easements. We have both an ethical and legal obligation to defend these lands, held in public trust, from unnecessary commercial development and degradation.

• We must protect New Hampshire’s scenic values. The permanent protection of “places with special scenic beauty” has been part of our mission since 1901. Our work is partly responsible for the scenic landscapes that attract millions of tourists to our state every year and make tourism our second-largest industry providing tens of thousands of jobs. The route chosen for the Northern Pass will degrade this foundation resource and compromise the quality of life we leave to future generations.

• We must safeguard our forests. The power line corridor and 90- to 135-foot-tall towers will permanently alter the lands they cross, fragmenting forests, disrupting wildlife habitat, disfiguring communities and lowering property values. 

• We must fight for the New Hampshire advantage. There is no clear long-term public benefit to New Hampshire from the Northern Pass project. As of today, most of the power will be exported to southern New England. No existing fossil fuel plant is slated for elimination as the result of Northern Pass, so our air quality will not significantly improve. As proposed, we would sacrifice our natural assets in order for a private corporation to reap the greatest profits possible.