NEW HAMPSHIRE DELEGATION: PUBLIC SHOULD SEE ALTERNATIVES TO PROPOSED NORTHERN PASS ROUTE
Lawmakers ask Department of Energy a second time to release alternative routes to be considered for Northern Pass project
(Washington, D.C.) – New Hampshire’s congressional delegation today called on the Department of Energy (DOE) to “provide the public with a preliminary report detailing which alternative routes will be studied” as part of the future Environmental Impact Study (EIS) that is currently being drafted for the proposed Northern Pass project.
The letter from U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Congresswomen Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) and Annie Kuster (NH-02) reiterates a request the delegation made in August to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to allow the New Hampshire public a reasonable opportunity to raise concerns on the Northern Pass Transmission proposal. The letter sent today again asks the DOE to issue a public, preliminary report of the alternatives to the proposed Northern Pass Route to be studied before the DOE issues a complete draft of the EIS.
“As we have previously emphasized, it is of the utmost importance that New Hampshire citizens are provided an opportunity to have input on a thorough, transparent, and effective EIS study,” the New Hampshire delegation wrote. “Given the public's immense interest in studying alternatives, we are compelled to emphasize and renew our request that DOE provide a preliminary report detailing which alternatives will be studied, and that this report is made public prior to the completion of the draft EIS study.”
The New Hampshire congressional delegation has led ongoing efforts to promote transparency on the proposed Northern Pass project. Last fall, the Administration relocated a public hearing on the project to a larger and more accessible location in response to a letter from Shaheen, Ayotte, Shea-Porter and Kuster.
The full text of the letter is available here.
