STOP NORTHERN PASS FROM INDUSTRIALIZING OUR SCENIC LANDSCAPE
Important meeting on September 23, 2012:
click here for information.
Important meeting on September 23, 2012:
click here for information.
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The Appalachian Mountain Club explains why Northern Pass is a
really bad idea.
(Video produced by the Forest Society in Easton, NH on the border of the White Mountain National Forest )
Northern Pass agrees, but presses on with this really bad idea to construct new high voltage power lines in the White Mountains.
really bad idea.
(Video produced by the Forest Society in Easton, NH on the border of the White Mountain National Forest )
Northern Pass agrees, but presses on with this really bad idea to construct new high voltage power lines in the White Mountains.
Shannon Donovan: "What is the biggest argument [against Northern Pass]?"
Martin Murray, PSNH: "WMNF 9 miles."
SAY "NO" HERE TO NORTHERN PASS IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS
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Northern Pass Transmission LLC, a private developer, wants to construct a high voltage direct current (HVDC) power line through the heart of the White Mountain National Forest, the crown jewels of New Hampshire. This proposed overhead transmission line would be the most intrusive private project ever built in our forest, the people's forest. It would blight the natural scenery of one of the most special places in the country, a public treasure initially created to save the landscape and to protect the water supply from non-sustainable forestry practices. Northern Pass wants to construct a second new power line adjacent to the HVDC line as well.
Northern Pass is a joint venture of Hydro Quebec (a crown corporation of the province of Quebec based in Montreal) and Northeast Utilities (recently merged with NStar and based in Hartford CT/Boston MA). NU's subsidiary, Public Service Company of New Hampshire, an investor owned utility, would rent the "real estate" -- its existing rights of way in New Hampshire -- to Hydro Quebec to construct its proposed transmission lines on.
Do We Need This Power to Keep the Lights On?
No. No public agency has requested the HVDC power line; it is not needed to keep the lights on. It is an optional "merchant transmission" business venture designed by utility corporations to benefit their investors. New Hampshire neither needs nor would receive the power. It would simply be forced to host the no-exit super highway for Hydro Quebec to sell its product to lucrative markets in Boston and Hartford.
Isn't the Power Green?
No. Northern Pass would transmit "brown" (not "green") hydro power from massive, environmentally damaging impoundment dams in northern Quebec to southern New England.
Would I See the Towers in the Forest?
Yes. In the National Forest, the new power lines would cross the National Scenic Appalachian Trail at 2500' and run through a fragile and extensive high elevation bog and spruce-fir habitat. The towers and wires would be visible from hiking trails in Franconia Notch and from popular 4000' summits. These visually jarring structures would loom over the surrounding trees, creating significant new negative impacts on the natural scenery, not merely "incremental" ones.
What Route Would Northern Pass Use?
The Northern Pass HVDC transmission line would originate in northern Quebec and terminate in Massachusetts, traveling 180-200 miles through New Hampshire. It would zig-zag through the Great North Woods of Coos County on new clear cut easements; slash its way southeast through the National Forest and across the historic Gateway to Franconia Notch, long a favorite subject for White Mountain School painters; and continue down the scenic Pemigewasset River valley (I-93) in full view of tourists seeking relief from urban, industrialized landscapes. The towers would visually shock visitors to the White Mountains as they gained their first view of Franconia Notch from I-93.
Which Towns within the Boundaries of the WMNF Does Northern Pass's Proposed Route Go Directly Through?
Easton, Lincoln, North Woodstock and Woodstock.
(If Northern Pass's new route in northern Coos County were to use the Coos Loop, other affected WMNF host communities could include Stark, Gorham, and Randolph. Northern Pass posted a winter tracking map for Stark and Dummer on January 30, 2012. Northern Pass would have to file new Special Use Permit applications for transmission lines in either the Pilot Range or the northern Presidential Range. Material on this site refers only to the route for which Northern Pass has currently applied, Easton - Lincoln - Woodstock.)
How Many New Transmission Towers Does Northern Pass Want to Build in the WMNF?
Northern Pass is a joint venture of Hydro Quebec (a crown corporation of the province of Quebec based in Montreal) and Northeast Utilities (recently merged with NStar and based in Hartford CT/Boston MA). NU's subsidiary, Public Service Company of New Hampshire, an investor owned utility, would rent the "real estate" -- its existing rights of way in New Hampshire -- to Hydro Quebec to construct its proposed transmission lines on.
Do We Need This Power to Keep the Lights On?
No. No public agency has requested the HVDC power line; it is not needed to keep the lights on. It is an optional "merchant transmission" business venture designed by utility corporations to benefit their investors. New Hampshire neither needs nor would receive the power. It would simply be forced to host the no-exit super highway for Hydro Quebec to sell its product to lucrative markets in Boston and Hartford.
Isn't the Power Green?
No. Northern Pass would transmit "brown" (not "green") hydro power from massive, environmentally damaging impoundment dams in northern Quebec to southern New England.
Would I See the Towers in the Forest?
Yes. In the National Forest, the new power lines would cross the National Scenic Appalachian Trail at 2500' and run through a fragile and extensive high elevation bog and spruce-fir habitat. The towers and wires would be visible from hiking trails in Franconia Notch and from popular 4000' summits. These visually jarring structures would loom over the surrounding trees, creating significant new negative impacts on the natural scenery, not merely "incremental" ones.
What Route Would Northern Pass Use?
The Northern Pass HVDC transmission line would originate in northern Quebec and terminate in Massachusetts, traveling 180-200 miles through New Hampshire. It would zig-zag through the Great North Woods of Coos County on new clear cut easements; slash its way southeast through the National Forest and across the historic Gateway to Franconia Notch, long a favorite subject for White Mountain School painters; and continue down the scenic Pemigewasset River valley (I-93) in full view of tourists seeking relief from urban, industrialized landscapes. The towers would visually shock visitors to the White Mountains as they gained their first view of Franconia Notch from I-93.
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| Proposed Easton - Woodstock Route through the WMNF (enlarge here) |
Which Towns within the Boundaries of the WMNF Does Northern Pass's Proposed Route Go Directly Through?
Easton, Lincoln, North Woodstock and Woodstock.
(If Northern Pass's new route in northern Coos County were to use the Coos Loop, other affected WMNF host communities could include Stark, Gorham, and Randolph. Northern Pass posted a winter tracking map for Stark and Dummer on January 30, 2012. Northern Pass would have to file new Special Use Permit applications for transmission lines in either the Pilot Range or the northern Presidential Range. Material on this site refers only to the route for which Northern Pass has currently applied, Easton - Lincoln - Woodstock.)
How Many New Transmission Towers Does Northern Pass Want to Build in the WMNF?
158, or more, depending upon engineering requirements that would only be finalized after all permits were granted.
What Would the New Transmission Towers Look Like?
Northern Pass has proposed both steel monopole and steel lattice-work towers.
How Tall Would the New Transmission Towers Be?
110 -140', depending upon engineering requirements that would only be finalized after all permits were granted. These heights are equivalent to eleven- to fourteen-story buildings. Your house is 25'-40' high.
Why Do You Say that Northern Pass Wants to Build New Power Lines in the WMNF?
Northern Pass proposes to remove the old high voltage alternating (HVAC) line that runs along this route below tree height on 52' wooden poles and to replace it with 79 or more steel monopoles as high as 110' - 140'. To fit both new sets of metal structures (HVAC and HVDC) within the 150' - wide special use corridor, Northern Pass proposes to locate these power lines at the edges of the corridor, close to the trees. Trees, transmission towers, and high voltage conductor wires would be dangerously situated within the fall zones of one another.
Where Do Matters Stand Now?
To date, Northern Pass has applied to the U. S. Forest Service (USFS) for a Special Use Permit (SUP) that would cover the Easton - Lincoln - Woodstock route. It remains to be seen whether the new HVDC transmission corridor that Northern Pass is trying to acquire in northern Coos County would depend upon crossing different sections of the WMNF and require one or more additional SUP applications.
Will New Hampshire Take a Vote on Northern Pass?
No. There will be no referendum or vote per se for the people of New Hampshire to express the popular will about this project. The decision will be made entirely by the regulatory and other agencies that would have to issue various permits to Northern Pass. The USFS's decision whether or not to issue the Special Use Permit for the WMNF is based upon the Department of Energy's Environmental Impact Statement. The USFS may reach a different conclusion than the DOE does, but it must use the DOE's environmental assessment.
How Can I Register My Opinion on Northern Pass in the WMNF?
The USFS will not accept your remarks directly, but it will consider the scoping comment(s) that you submit to the Department of Energy, the lead regulatory agency. The USFS will read the raw data, your actual comment, not just the DOE's summaries.
The DOE is accepting scoping comments on Northern Pass through its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) site. Anyone from anywhere may comment; you do not have to be a New Hampshire resident.
You must comment through the DOE EIS site to register your views with the USFS. The USFS will not conduct a separate public scoping process for the SUP in the WMNF.
Post your scoping comment here.
You may also send a copy of your comment to the project liaison for the USFS, Tiffany Benna,
by electronic mail at tbenna@fs.fed.us, by facsimile at (603) 536-3695, or by mail at 71 White Mountain Drive, Campton, NH, 03223. The USFS cannot respond to comments that it receives. But you may contact Ms. Benna with questions about the Forest Service’s role as a cooperating agency. Phone (603) 536-6241.
Tell the USFS why you do not want more transmission lines in the White Mountains:
Industrialization of natural scenery
Impacts on wetlands
Fragmentation of forest habitat
Steep slope erosion
Impacts on wildlife
Degradation of recreational activities
At a later date, there will also be an opportunity to comment upon the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Check back for details.
Learn More About Northern Pass in the WMNF
Follow these links to learn how the revocable SUP transmission corridor through the WMNF that Northern Pass wants to use was first established, why it was rejected in 1986 for a similar HVDC project, and whether Northern Pass's new power lines would be be compatible with current WMNF policies and goals:
- When and why was a power line first sited on this SUP corridor through the WMNF?
- Why did a utility developer reject this route for an HVDC line in 1986?
- Would Northern Pass's new power lines be compatible with the most recent set of goals and priorities of the Forest?
- What has the USFS said about Northern Pass?
- What is the public saying about Northern Pass in the WMNF?
The Document Library contains copies of Northern Pass's filings with the USFS and USFS correspondence with Northern Pass, as made public by Northern Pass.
The WMNF's Northern Pass project page is here.
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