AMHERST — A nearly 30-mile Eversource project to remove trees and shrubs along its right of way across 11 communities, from Northfield to Ludlow, will be discussed at a community meeting Tuesday.
Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, and Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, have organized the meeting that starts at 6 p.m. at the Town Room at Amherst Town Hall.
The idea is to get an overview of what is known as the WT-11 Transmission Right-of-Way Reliability Program Project, which will impact 29.3 miles of right of way, starting in Northfield and continuing in Erving, Wendell, Montague, Leverett and Shutesbury in Franklin County and continuing through Pelham, Belchertown, Amherst and Granby in Hampshire County, before ending in Ludlow.
In these areas, Eversource has a powerline corridor that is between 125 and 335 feet wide, with plans to clear 278 acres and widen to 252 to 576 feet wide. The plan would remove all species of trees and shrubs with mature heights of greater than 30 feet.
While the formal public comment period for this proposal closed in November, Domb wrote in a Facebook post that she and Comerford “wanted to organize this additional opportunity for community members to learn more, ask questions, and share their perspectives.”
The meeting follows a December meeting, held at the Pelham Library, in which National Grid outlined its plans. Shutesbury, Pelham and Belchertown are impacted by both projects, while Amherst will be directly impacted by Eversource and indirectly impacted by National Grid.
National Grid’s project crosses 16 towns, with other communities in the region affected including Conway, Deerfield, Leverett, Shelburne, Sunderland and Ware.
For those not able to attend in person, the meeting will be livestreamed at: https://amherstma.zoom.us/j/82928590640
Questions may be submitted in advance via: https://forms.gle/oLhtNo74WkiJzztQ8
The Conservation Commission in Pelham has expressed concerns about work that would occur near the convergence of Amethyst Brook and Buffam Brook, next to the Buffam Falls Conservation Area, and could mean taking down trees along North Valley Road to the brook and to the bottom of the gorge.
The plans, first unveiled in 2022, are under review by the state’s Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, and local Conservation Commissions will be offering input.
Information on both projects is also being disseminated by community activists at ResponsibleGrid.org
