September 13, 2013

Your Chance to be Heard! DOE Hearings Sept 23-26

The Forest Society urges you to attend one of the official hearings the U.S. Department of Energy will hold the week of Sept. 23 regarding the proposed Northern Pass transmission line that threatens New Hampshire. It’s important for everyone who cares about our state’s scenic landscapes, private property rights and conserved lands to make their voices heard on this issue by attending one of these hearings.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will hold four public scoping hearings in New Hampshire concerning their intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Northern Pass (NP) project. They will be held on four consecutive days, September 23-26 in Concord, Plymouth, Whitefield and Colebrook. We urge you to attend.

1. Monday September 23: Concord, Grappone Conference Center, 70 Constitution Ave., Monday, 6-9 p.m.
2. Tuesday, September 24: Plymouth,  Plymouth State University, Silver Center for the Arts, Hanaway Theater, 17 High St., 5-8 p.m.
3. Wednesday, September 25: Whitefield, Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa, Presidential Room, 101 Mountain View Rd., 5-8 p.m.
4. Thursday, September 26: Colebrook, Colebrook Elementary School Gymnasium, 27 Dumont St., 5-8 p.m.


It’s no secret the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests opposes Northern Pass as proposed. We believe the more than 1,500 towers spread across 180 miles above the natural tree line will permanently scar New Hampshire’s landscape and will bring few real benefits to the state.

Large majorities of landowners in the 31 communities directly affected by Northern Pass agree that Northern Pass is not good for their communities or for our state. The purpose of these DOE hearings is to get public input on what should be included in a required study (Environmental Impact Study, or EIS) about the likely impacts of the proposed Northern Pass transmission line. Similar hearings were held a couple of years ago. This is your opportunity to let the DOE know what you think should be considered as they contemplate issuing the Presidential Permit that would be required for the proposed line to cross the Canadian border.

The EIS will also be used by the US Forest Service to decide whether to grant Northern Pass a Special Use Permit for this private transmission line to be constructed through more than 10 miles of the White Mountain National Forest. As one of the organizations that helped create the WMNF a century ago, we believe Northern Pass should not be allowed to insert itself onto conserved lands for corporate gain.

Northern Pass LLC has failed to consider any alternative to their desire for antiquated overhead transmission lines. We will be joining other voices in the state who are insisting that other viable alternatives—such as burial along transportation corridors or the use of the existing corridor that crosses through New Hampshire—be considered. Other states are making it clear to transmission developers that new transmission lines shall make use of the latest technology, and New Hampshire should not let itself host the last overhead transmission line ever built.

How to Comment

If you want to provide comments at one of the sessions, e-mail Brian Mills at DOE at Brian.Mills@hq.doe.gov and provide your name and contact information and the date of the meeting at which you wish to speak.

You may also submit written comments to the DOE on or before November 5, 2013
or by regular mail to:

Brian Mills
Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE-20)
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue SW.
Washington, DC 20585

For the complete Federal Register Notice go to:

For the complete amended Northern Pass application filed July 1, 2013 with the DOE
for a Presidential Permit go to:

To view Northern Pass maps of the new preferred alternative’s tower locations
and sizes by community go to:


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