CONCORD — Opponents of the Northern Pass transmission project celebrated Thursday afternoon as the Site Evaluation Committee unexpectedly voted 7-0 to deny the application.
The seven-member committee said earlier in the day that project developer Eversource failed to meet its burden of proof that the project would not negatively impact the orderly development of the region, one of four criteria that must be met for approval.
After the straw vote, the committee continued to review the evidence, but after lunch Vice Chair Kathryn Bailey moved to deny the application because, she said, the committee could not approve the application.
“There are pros and cons to continue the proceedings, but at this point we cannot grant a certificate and there are some risks in continuing deliberations,” Bailey said. “We’ve reached the point where we cannot grant a certificate if everyone votes the way we articulated this morning on orderly development.”
The SEC’s decision ends eight years of controversy and opposition once the 192-mile transmission line from Pittsburg to Deerfield was announced in 2010.
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