Eversource representatives will be in Concord on Tuesday to discuss the Northern Pass route selection, the Forward NH Plan, benefits to New Hampshire and the Tri-State Clean Energy RFP application.
The representatives will appear before the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee (SEC) as part of its ongoing review of Northern Pass, known as Technical Sessions. These informal hearings are an opportunity for the parties involved in the Northern Pass state review process to ask questions the project.
The project experts include:
William J. Quinlan is the Eversource President of New Hampshire Operations and is responsible for ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of electricity to more than 500,000 Eversource customers in New Hampshire, as well as overseeing the construction, operation, and maintenance of Eversource’s New Hampshire electricity infrastructure.
Kenneth B. Bowes joined Northeast Utilities in 1984 and today serves as Eversource Vice President of Engineering. Mr. Bowes is responsible for engineering activities for Eversource’s electric transmission and distribution system. He manages the distributed generation, micro-grid, new technology, and R&D activities for the company, and executes the System Resiliency Program and Distributed Energy Resources projects.
Northern Pass, through its Forward NH Plan, will bring considerable benefits to New Hampshire including approximately $3.8 billion in jobs programs, energy savings, tax revenue, an increase in New Hampshire’s GDP, investment in clean energy and the environment and other benefits. Other key points about Northern Pass, its route and its benefits include:
You can find additional information about the benefits of the project, as well as the pre-filed testimony from the above experts, on the Northern Pass website. Technical Sessions will continue throughout September. View a schedule of all the Technical Sessions here.
*Editor’s Note: Quinlan and Bowes have adopted James Muntz’s testimony, who previously submitted testimony as part of the application to the SEC.
A Northern Pass expert will answer questions today about the project’s aesthetics and the efforts the project has made to reduce potential view impacts.
This session is similar to others that have been held in September as part of the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee’s ongoing review of Northern Pass, known as Technical Sessions. These informal hearings are an opportunity for the parties involved in the Northern Pass state review process to ask questions of the project. Thus far, a number of experts have been available to discuss a wide range of topics related to the project.
The expert scheduled to speak today is Terrence DeWan, the Principal and Founder of Terrence J. DeWan & Associates—a landscape architecture and planning firm located in Yarmouth, Maine. Over his career, Mr. DeWan has prepared more than 80 visual impact assessments on a wide variety of projects throughout New England, including power generation facilities, electrical transmission lines and substations, as well as the visual impact assessment for the Northern Pass Transmission Project.
Some of the key points that may be discussed include:
You can find additional information about the aesthetic aspects of the project, as well as Mr. Dewan’s pre-filed testimony from, on the Northern Pass website. Technical Sessions will continue into October. View a schedule of all the Technical Sessions here.
Northern Pass experts will be available on Tuesday to answer questions about how the project relates to the local and regional environment. They will discuss environmental studies related to the project as well as how Northern Pass is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The experts will appear before the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee as part of its ongoing review of the project, known as Technical Sessions. These informal hearings are an opportunity for the parties involved in the Northern Pass state review process to ask questions of the project.
The project experts include:
Robert Varney, is President of Normandeau Associates, an environmental science consulting firm based in Bedford. Mr. Varney has worked on a number of climate, clean energy, and conservation initiatives throughout his career; and he served as the Regional Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for New England and as the Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services from 1989 to 2001.
Jake Tinus is Project Manager in the Environmental Studies and Permitting Global Practice for Burns & McDonnell Engineering and has 15 years of experience related to permitting and monitoring projects that involve altering and restoring wetlands, water bodies, and other natural resources. He has previously consulted on these issues for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.
Lee Carbonneau is Senior Principal Scientist in the Wetlands/Terrestrial Group and assistant project manager for Normandeau Associates, where she also serves as the permitting lead for Northern Pass. She has worked in the natural resource field for her entire professional career and has worked on more than100 projects with Narmandeau Associates. Ms. Carbonneau is a Professional Wetland Scientist with the Society of Wetland Scientists, and a Certified Wetland Scientist with the New Hampshire Association of Natural Resource Scientists.
Dennis Magee is Vice President at Normandeau Associates and conducted analysis on the potential impacts Northern Pass could have on rare plants and rare or unusual natural communities. Mr. Magee has more than 40 years of experience as a botanist, has authored four reference books on vegetation, and has been a principal investigator or program manager on several hundred projects occurring in offshore coastal, intertidal, riverine, lacustrine, freshwater wetland, and terrestrial environments.
Dr. Sarah Barnum is a Senior Wildlife Ecologist at Normandeau Associates and holds a Ph.D. in Planning, with an emphasis in conservation. She has more than 20 years of professional experience, including working on the Deer Project for Vermont Fish and Wildlife, as an environmental planner for the Colorado Department of Transportation, and as the Vice President of Conservation for New Hampshire Audubon. She is author of the report “Northern Pass Transmission Project Wildlife Report and Impact Assessment October 2015.”
Hydropower from Canada is one of the lowest greenhouse gas-emitting energy options available. Emissions from hydropower are similar to those of wind energy, 5 times less than solar, 50 times less than natural gas, and 70 times less than coal. Other key points about the environmental impact of Northern Pass include:
If more time is needed, the panel of environmental experts will meet again on Thursday, September 22. You can find additional information about the environmental aspects of the project, as well as the pre-filed testimony from the above experts, on the Northern Pass website. Technical Sessions will continue throughout September. View a schedule of all the Technical Sessions here.
Northern Pass experts will be in Concord on Monday to answer questions about the orderly development of the project, including Northern Pass’ property tax impact and environmental issues.
The experts will appear before the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee as part of its ongoing review of the project, known as Technical Sessions. These informal hearings are an opportunity for the parties involved in the Northern Pass state review process to ask questions of the project.
The project experts include:
Robert Varney, the President of Normandeau Associates, an environmental science consulting firm based in Bedford, NH. Mr. Varney has worked on a number of climate, clean energy, and conservation initiatives throughout his career, and served as the Regional Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for New England and as the Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services from 1989 to 2001.
Lisa Shapiro is the Chief Economist at Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell in Concord, N.H., and has approximately 20 years of experience in analyzing New Hampshire property taxes. She provided the Northern Pass Transmission Project with information on the estimated property tax payments to New Hampshire communities, and the direct impacts on local communities generated by the construction and operation of the project.
Dr. James Chalmers is the Principal of Chalmers & Associations LLC in Billings, Montana, and is an economist, appraiser, and nationally recognized expert in assessing the impacts of large-scale infrastructure projects on the value of real estate.
Mitch Nichols, the Founder and President of Nichols Tourism Group in Bellingham, Washington, has more than 20 years of experience working with and analyzing tourism destinations across the country. He has worked with numerous states, including New Hampshire, to develop a long-range tourism strategic plan and an assessment of its identity in the tourism marketplace.
Some key points regarding Northern Pass and its relation to orderly development include:
You can find additional information about construction of the project, as well as the pre-filed testimony from the above experts, on the Northern Pass website. Technical Sessions will continue throughout September. You can find a schedule for all the Technical Sessions here.
The economist who conducted the study on the benefits of adding clean, affordable hydropower to the New England grid will speak about her research and the project’s benefits on Friday. The session is part of the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee’s (SEC) ongoing review of Northern Pass, and is an opportunity for the parties involved to ask questions of the project in an informal setting.
Julia Frayer, a Managing Director with London Economics, specializes in analysis related to energy infrastructure, such as electric generation facilities, natural gas-related infrastructure, and electricity transmission and distribution systems. She has also conducted extensive research in issues pertaining to cross-border transmission investment in North America. On Friday, Frayer will be available to answer questions about a study she conducted on the impacts of adding 1,090 megawatts of Canadian hydropower into the New England regional electric grid.
Key points about Northern Pass’ market benefits include:
New England electricity rates are among the highest in the nation, due in part to overreliance on natural gas to generate electricity. According to the regional grid operator ISO New England, more than 45 percent of the region’s electric generating capacity consists of natural gas-fired power plants. That percentage is expected to grow in coming years as older power plants retire and more natural gas-fired plants come online. This over-reliance causes severe price volatility, particularly in winter when there is increased need for natural gas for home heating, driving up overall prices for New England. Northern Pass will diversify the region’s energy mix and ease the volatility experienced in recent years, which in turn will stabilize energy costs for the region.
Northern Pass will also help the region meet clean energy goals, such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Technical Sessions will continue throughout September. You can find a schedule for all the Technical Sessions here.
Northern Pass experts will be available to answer questions on Thursday about their research of the historical and archaeological resources along the 192-mile Northern Pass route. The research includes an inventory of historical buildings, archaeological surveys, and other studies.
The experts will appear before the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee (SEC) as part of its ongoing review of the project, known as Technical Sessions. These informal hearings are an opportunity for the parties involved in the Northern Pass state review process to ask questions of the project.
The two experts are scheduled to speak Thursday are:
Cherilyn Widell, President of Widell Preservation Services in Chestertown, Maryland, who has worked in the field of historic preservation throughout the United States and internationally for 40 years. Among her work, Ms. Widell served as the federal preservation officer for the Presidio Trust—the federal agency responsible for the conversion of the Presidio of San Francisco from an Army post to a National Park. She conducted assessments of the potential effects that the Northern Pass project may have on above-ground historic properties and cultural landscapes in New Hampshire.
Dr. Victoria Bunker is the owner and principle investigator at Victoria Bunker, Inc., archeological consultants in Alton, NH. She has more than 35 years of experience in New England archeology, and is listed as qualified to conduct archeological surveys in New Hampshire by the NH Division of Historical Resources. In her career, Dr. Bunker has conducted regional research surveys in the Lamprey, Merrimack, Pemigewasset and Mad River Valleys and throughout the White Mountain National Forest. Dr. Bunker conducted archaeological assessments for Northern Pass.
The review of the potential impact of the Northern Pass project on historic and archeological resources is required under the state’s energy project siting laws, and also by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Key points of Widell and Bunker’s findings include:
For more information, you can view Widell and Bunker’s pre-filed testimonies in Northern Pass’ application to the NH Site Evaluation Committee. Technical Sessions will continue throughout September. You can find a schedule for all the Technical Sessions here.
Northern Pass experts will be in Concord on Monday to answer questions about the construction of the 192-mile transmission line and other work needed to connect the project to the regional electric grid. This includes the overhead and underground portions of the route, the converter terminal in Franklin, and upgrades to a substation in Deerfield.
The experts will appear before the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee as part of its ongoing review of the project, known as Technical Sessions. These informal hearings are an opportunity for the parties involved in the Northern Pass state review process to ask questions of the project.
Experts speaking about the Northern Pass construction process include:
Experts speaking on construction will discuss a wide range of topics, including Northern Pass’ objective to provide clean, renewable, competitively-priced electricity for consumers in New Hampshire and the rest of New England. Some other key points include:
You can find additional information about construction of the project, as well as the pre-filed testimony from the above experts, on the Northern Pass website. Technical Sessions will continue throughout September. You can find a schedule for all the technical sessions here
The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee (SEC) will hold another Technical Session in Concord today as part of its ongoing review of Northern Pass. These sessions are an informal opportunity for the parties involved in the Northern Pass state review process to ask questions of the project.
Today’s session will focus on the project’s finances, and will include testimony from Michael Ausere, Vice President of Energy Planning and Economics for Eversource. He will speak about Northern Pass’ financial capability to construct and operate the project, as well as the Transmission Service Agreement (TSA), which was approved in 2011 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and outlines the agreement between Northern Pass and Hydro-Québec’s subsidiary, Hydro Renewable Energy Inc. (HRE). You can read the FERC order here.
Other important facts include:
To read more about the financial aspects of the project, go to Northern Pass’ application to the NH Site Evaluation Committee:
Vol. I, ES
Vol. I, Sec. (h) (5) p. 50
Vol II, Ausere Testimony
Technical Sessions will continue throughout September. You can read about the previous session here, which covered system stability and reliability, and public health and safety. You can also find a schedule for all the technical sessions here.
As part of the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee’s (SEC) continued review of the Northern Pass transmission project, the SEC began its Technical Sessions on Tuesday in Concord. These sessions are an informal opportunity for the parties involved in the Northern Pass state review process to ask questions of project experts.
The first session will include a discussion about the project’s impact on system stability and reliability, and regional grid operator ISO New England’s 1.3.9 approval process. In the afternoon, the session will continue with a discussion about the public health and safety impacts of the project, specifically electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) and environmental sound. Testimony from the public health and safety panel will continue tomorrow, September 7 if more time is needed. The technical sessions are expected to continue throughout the month of September. You can find the agenda for these sessions here.
Expert Panelists:
Robert Andrew is the Director of System Planning for Eversource and has more than 35 years of experience in the electrical generation and distribution industry. He will be available to answer questions about ISO New England’s approval of the project’s I.3.9 application in July, and other important facts about Northern Pass’s impact on system stability and reliability, including:
Dr. William Bailey is the Principal Scientist at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health Risk Assessment at Exponent, Inc., and is recognized nationally and internationally for his expertise in the potential effects of EMFs. His testimony will focus on his evaluation of the potential effects of the Northern Pass Transmission Project on public health and safety.
Dr. Gary Johnson is a Senior Managing Scientist in Exponent’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science practice who has extensive experience with transmission and distribution systems and has published 35 papers on EMFs and related subjects. He will be available to speak about his modeling of the electric and magnetic fields, audible noise, and radio noise from the existing lines and from the Northern Pass Transmission Project.
Douglas Bell is Senior Principal Consultant and President at Cavanaugh Tocci Associates, Inc., and has 25 years of experience evaluating environmental sound. He will be available to answer questions about the sound surveys he conducted along the proposed Northern Pass route.
Other important facts related to Northern Pass’ potential impact on public health and safety include:
If you have more questions about EMFs, we’ve compiled information about AC and DC EMFs on our website:
EMF, Alternating Current Fact Sheet: http://www.northernpass.us/assets/FNH_ALTERNATING_CURRENT_FINAL.pdf
EMF, Direct Current Fact Sheet: http://www.northernpass.us/assets/FNH_DIRECT_CURRENT_FINAL.pdf
For more information about the Northern Pass experts mentioned above and the research they’ve done on this project, you can find their pre-filed testimony within the Northern Pass application to the NH Site Evaluation Committee, Vol. I, Sec. (i)(6)
The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee (SEC) will host a public hearing on Thursday, June 23 at 6 p.m. at Plymouth Regional High School, located at 86 Old Ward Bridge Road. This meeting is to receive public comments on the additional information submitted by Northern Pass to comply with newly adopted SEC rules.
You can read the SEC’s official order, which includes information about the public hearing, on the SEC website.