"Wednesday, March 16, 2011, my husband Jim and I attended a scoping meeting for the Northern Pass proposal. We left horrified that anyone could begin to think this a good idea.
New Hampshire is an energy exporter. This state has worked hard to develop a truly green, renewable energy, biomass, wind, and solar. We do not use as much electricity as we produce and export it to other states. Why would we want to bring foreign competition to New Hampshire to undermine our own industries? Why would we want to depend on a foreign country for our power supply, even if that country is Canada? We are trying to wean the United States from dependence on foreign energy.
Although Hydro-Quebec promises the creation of 1200 jobs, these jobs are neither permanent, nor is there a guarantee that they will be filled by local persons. Persons already employed and working in this industry for the most part will fill these jobs. This project will not create new jobs.
This project with its 135-foot towers spaced every eighty feet will cause serious environmental damage. The existing right of way is not wide enough to accommodate such towers and needs to be widened is many areas. It also requires the taking of more land. The present swath of land already carrying high-tension lines is readily visible on Google Earth. Fortunately, most of these existing lines are carried on much lower wooden towers and are not so readily visible. Yet, these towers are still a scar on the land. 135-foot towers are four times the height of conventional telephone poles and have a huge base. They are ugly. If you have any doubt, drive I-91 across the Canadian border and see the tower lines along Canadian Highway Rte. 55. Or, visit Niagara Falls NY to see the impact such towers have on the landscape. Ugly.
The major industry of Northern New Hampshire is tourism. It is dependent on beautiful scenery to bring in the hikers, campers, skiers, snow mobile and motorcycle riders, and all others who revel in the unspoiled North Country. Leaf peepers come in the fall just to take in the gorgeous autumn foliage. The views are the stuff of which Christmas cards are made.
Yet, this proposal threatens to run 135-foot towers every 80 feet right across one of the most beautiful views in the entire state, the view observed from the curve between exits 30 and 31 on I-93, the view into Franconia Notch. While the plan does not call for coming through Franconia Notch, it will cross Rte. 3, Daniel Webster Highway, and the Pemigewasset River just south of the village of North Woodstock and be highly visible. It will be ugly. The alternate route is no better. Such a blow to the basic industry of this area will have a devastating effect on the economy of the North Country. The result has the potential to be billions of dollars in lost revenue, high unemployment, lost wages, and lost taxes from businesses.
Just the threat of such lines can impact property values. Already property owners in the north county are learning that the rumor that the lines may run near their property makes it difficult if not impossible to sell their property, and they must disclose it.. Is Hydro-Quebec counting on that in order to buy the right-of-way to such properties now that eminent domain is not longer an option?
Along with lower property values will be lower tax revenues to towns, Grafton and Coos counties, and indeed the entire state of New Hampshire. Towns will feel the impact immediately in lower tax revenues and will be forced to make drastic cuts in every municipal area: fire, police, schools. These are small towns and are not over staffed in the areas of fire, police, or public works. These towns are struggling to bring their schools up to required federal and state standards and to maintain those standards. With declining property values come lower tax revenues that are the only means of supporting these necessary municipal services and our schools.
Hydro-Quebec and its partners are promising payments to local communities in the form of taxes. The truth is that these companies will depreciate their investments and leave the local communities with depreciating, deteriorating, and out-dated structures.
There is also the impact on the environment to consider. Study after study has shown the deleterious effect of high-tension lines on persons living in the vicinity of them. The incidence of childhood leukemia is far higher than normal when high-tension lines are located nearby. There are also higher incidences of migraines and other disabling conditions. The effect on wildlife, which is even more sensitive than humans and responds faster to such threats, is incalculable.
Not only would the damage be enormous in this country, but the damage in Canada would be greater. We would not allow this project in the United States.
This is a disaster that threatens to be of BP Gulf Oil Spill proportions. BP was required to establish a mitigation fund of $20 billion dollars for the accident. We are not looking at an accident but at a deliberate choice. Are Hydro-Quebec and its partners going to be required to establish a $20 billion mitigation fund to compensate Northern New Hampshire, and indeed the state, for the billions of dollars in damage to the environment, to lost jobs, to declining property values, to lost tax revenues, to the risks to the health of residents of this area? We don’t want the $20 billion; we don’t want the towers: we don’t want this calamity. We don’t want any politician who would vote for this.
How can anyone think this is a good idea?"
