NORTHAMPTON — State officials are paying close attention to the vegetation management plan Eversource is pursuing along a transmission corridor extending from Northfield to Ludlow, acknowledging the worries brought forward by residents living in towns that would be affected by the work.
“We share the concerns raised by the communities surrounding the WT-11 project,” said Maria Hardiman, spokesperson for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, in an email. “We’re urging Eversource to make every effort to minimize tree clearing and impacts to the environment as much as possible.”
The comments come after Western Mass Towns for a Responsible Grid this month announced a campaign in which it would send a letter to Gov. Maura Healey asking her to intervene with the Transmission Right-of-Way Reliability Program, specifically the possible clearcutting of 278 acres in 11 communities, most of them in Franklin and Hampshire counties.
While the state has not formally responded to the local group, the executive office notes that both Secretary Rebecca Tepper and Tori Kim, director of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office, have received and reviewed numerous comments, questions and concerns from legislators and other concerned residents, and have personally met with Eversource to discuss the concerns raised and learn how the company intends to address them.
In addition, staff from the MEPA Office and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs have participated in two site visits, meeting with residents to view sites that would be impacted.
“We appreciate the advocacy of the residents along the transmission corridor, and they will be taken into consideration through the MEPA Office’s review,” Hardiman said.
Michael DeChiara of Shutesbury, a member of the Western Mass Towns for a Responsible Grid, said last week that the group has not received any direct communication from the state about the concerns, and is still interested in having Healey become involved, with the letter garnering almost 900 signatures from people in 53 communities.
Shutesbury is among the towns that would be affected by the project, with the others being Erving, Wendell, Montague, Leverett, Pelham, Belchertown, Amherst, Granby, Northfield and Ludlow.
DeChiara said the encouraging statement from the executive office must be followed by strong and clear regulatory action.
“The governor’s regulators at MEPA are the only ones who have the ability to require Eversource to limit this extensive clearcutting in our region,” DeChiara said. “There is no data showing this excessive approach is needed and the result will be a less resilient environment and increased costs for Eversource customers.”
DeChiara added that the hope is for the utility to better explain its actions to state officials.
“MEPA must require that Eversource document in its plans why this project is even needed and if allowed, how a selective cutting and pruning approach will be applied,” DeChiara said.
No final environmental impact report has yet been filed, which will lead to additional opportunities for public comment. Once that filing happens, Tepper will examine the adequacy of the filing in meeting the standards set forth in the MEPA statute and regulations.
Western Mass Towns for a Responsible Grid is also invited to submit comments at that time.
In addition to this work, Western Mass Towns for a Responsible Grid is staging what it is referring to as a “Call the Governor Day” on Oct. 15, appealing for responsible maintenance by Eversource of both the WT-11 transmission lines and other transmission lines in the region that will also be affected in the coming years.
