Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Northern Pass Transmission LLC (NPT) reacted in the media (here and here) to news stories reporting that the federal review of the Northern Pass project has been tainted by DOE’s abdication of critical responsibilities to the project developer and permit applicant, NPT. It is frustrating, but not…
Oct 12
2012
2012
Oct 11
2012
2012
Its Objectivity and Integrity Again in Question, the Federal Review of Northern Pass Comes to a New Crossroads
The new revelations of unfairness and bias in the federal environmental review of Northern Pass have struck a chord, garnering front-page coverage in the Union Leader and a story on New Hampshire Public Radio. You can join our fight for a fair review of Northern Pass. We have made it easy for you to take action and…
Oct 10
2012
2012
Newly Disclosed Evidence of NPT Influence Taints Federal Review of Northern Pass
A year ago, CLF asked the Department of Energy (DOE) for documents regarding its environmental review of Northern Pass – the major power-line project proposed by Northern Pass Transmission LLC, or “NPT.” We fought for an open, rigorous, and impartial permitting process that would independently scrutinize all elements of the Northern Pass proposal. We wanted to be sure that’s what New Hampshire and the region would be getting from DOE and its new contractor team, which is charged with preparing the ever-crucial environmental impact statement or “EIS” – the document that analyzes the proposed project, all reasonable alternatives, and all related environmental and socio-economic impacts.
Sep 5
2012
2012
Two Years Later and No Path Forward for Northern Pass
After a summer when many in New Hampshire expected to hear about a revised route and a renewed public relations campaign for the Northern Pass transmission project, the current proposal, which surfaced almost two years ago, is facing new obstacles: On the heels of its successful campaign to protect the Balsams, the Society for the Protection of…
Aug 13
2012
2012
PSNH Ratepayers Get Cleaner, Cheaper Power Choices
Most customers of Public Service Company of New Hampshire get one of the worst electricity deals in New England. Their ratepayer dollars subsidize the operation of PSNH’s outdated, inefficient coal-fired power plants; they live with the public health impacts of air pollution from PSNH plants; they have seen (and will see) their rates rise thanks…
Aug 7
2012
2012
A View from Inside (and Outside) the Annual Meeting of the New England Governors
Last week I found myself on the beautiful shores of Lake Champlain in Burlington Vermont at the 36th Annual meeting of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers. Normally, this meeting is a low key affair that doesn’t have a big impact on the place where it is being held. That was not the…
Aug 6
2012
2012
Can New England and Canada Achieve ‘Frenergy’?
Against a backdrop of protesters vehemently opposing bad proposals to bring energy from Canada into New England, governors from the six New England states this week demonstrated their commitment to a clean energy future for our region. They resolved to pool their buying power, regionally, for renewable energy. This will boost wind and solar energy, among other clean sources, at the best available price—a much-needed step on our path to affordable renewable energy and independence from dirty fossil fuels.
Jul 2
2012
2012
PSNH: Bad Planning and Old Power Plants Taking Their Toll on New Hampshire
As the nation continues to move beyond coal as a fuel for electricity generation, PSNH continues to cling to its obsolete, uneconomic coal plants that need massive subsidies from ratepayers to operate. Conservation Law Foundation recently filed a brief with the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission that blows the whistle on PSNH’s failure to meet…
Jun 29
2012
2012
New Video: Real New Hampshire Voices Speak Out on the Northern Pass Proposal
Northern Pass’s developer has a long track record of public statements attributing the deep New Hampshire opposition to the current proposal to the go-to developer bogeyman – “not in my backyard” obstructionism. Accusing critics of short-sighted “NIMBYism” is even part of Northern Pass’s expensive marketing campaign (which suffers from other deliberately false and misleading claims). Continuing this…
Jun 14
2012
2012
New Study: Energy Market Changes Undermine Economic Case for Northern Pass
This week, the New England Power Generators Association (the trade group for most of the region’s power plant companies, also known as NEPGA) released a new study analyzing the potential effect of the Northern Pass project on New England’s energy market – the first independent study addressing this issue. More than two years after the…