There are credible, affordable alternatives.
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- Northern Pass
Good evening, my name is Jane Difley, and I am the president/forester of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
My title is not just ceremonial. I am Licensed Professional Forester # 297 with a Masters in Forest Management. Seeing forests for the trees, and understanding their value, has been my life’s work.
Foresters are pragmatic. It is our profession to manage forests as a renewable natural resource to be sustainably managed. We understand and actively promote a long-term economic view of the wood resource forests provide. That value accrues over decades, making necessary a long-term conservation view. The economy and the environment go hand in hand. At the Forest Society, we call this “wise use.”
We also take a holistic approach to forest management. We manage for timber production, certainly, but we also manage for wildlife habitat, clean drinking water, recreation, tourism, and yes, scenic views. We are land managers. Forestry is not just about logging.
Private property also accrues value over decades. Resale value, yes, but more than that homes and farms accrue the value of a life spent stewarding that resource. Our landscape is our home. Our forests are not just a backdrop, they are the foundation of a place we have chosen. It is not by accident that New Hampshire is the second-most forested nation in the country—it is by intent.
And so, five years ago this month when the DOE held its first set of scoping hearings on Northern Pass, it was no surprise that people of all walks of life came forward to say in their own words why the Northern Pass proposal would irreparably harm the New Hampshire they love. It should be no surprise that thousands petitioned Gov. Lynch, influencing him to say that Northern Pass should only be built with the support of the communities being asked to host it. It is no surprise that petition after petition has called for burial of Northern Pass.
In Concord last week, my senator, Sen. Hosmer, noted that Northern Pass stumbled out of the gate; that the reason for the overwhelming and unprecedented opposition to this project is somehow merely the result of poor public relations.
It is a convenient story. A story that Eversource did a horrible job introducing its proposed construction project, but today it has somehow gotten it right.
I would suggest to the SEC a different point of view—that the people of Eversource and their Canadian customer, Hydro-Quebec, find themselves facing an uphill battle because Northern Pass as proposed then and today is simply not a very good idea for New Hampshire, especially when considered in light of the alternatives.
When I met with Mr. Quinlan to discuss Northern Pass he asked me what part of New Hampshire I thought was most deserving of protection. The answer was easy and I remember it well: “Bill, I said, “it’s the part between the Canadian border in Pittsburg and your so-called terminus in Deerfield.”
Asking anyone--or all of us--to sacrifice the forests and landscapes we have collectively spent generations consciously protecting is to dismiss that which we value most about our communities, our state, and our way of life.
As a forester, as a citizen of New Hampshire, I ask you to take the long view. Protect the accrued value of our forests, our scenery, our communities, and our homes by denying a permit for Northern Pass as proposed. There are credible, affordable alternatives.
Thank you.
Jane Difley