We will insist on smart, well-planned energy projects that advance a clean energy future and we will not welcome any overhead extension cords like Northern Pass that provide little benefit to the state, at the expense of our natural and scenic resources.  – excerpt from petition to Governor Hassan

Background

In March 2011, we posted Help Us Stop High Voltage Power Lines Over Pemi, bringing to the attention of Camp Pemigewassett alumni and friends the proposal to construct a high-voltage direct-current transmission line from the Canadian border down through New Hampshire to southern New England—called Northern Pass—with a proposed alternate route that cut right through Pemi’s land. As a result of this outreach, letters, emails, and calls from our readers to government officials joined those of other concerned citizens and a month later, we were relieved to post Pemi Dodges Proposed Power Lines.

Today’s Challenge

We recently received an email from the president of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, asking us to join the effort once again by providing an update to the Pemi community.

The Northern Pass transmission line, still on the table, proposes to erect 1,500 new towers along a 187-mile scar across two-thirds of New Hampshire. This private transmission line would directly impact three Forest Reservations, including the Rocks Estate, dozens of conservation easements, and the White Mountain National Forest.

In an effort to convey what is at stake, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, Appalachian Mountain Club, and the Conservation Media Group (CMG), a non-profit group of filmmakers and conservationists, have teamed up. Please watch seven year-old Tucker, the star of this short video, as he explains what the forests mean to him. All of New Hampshire is our backyard, and if Northern Pass were to be built, not only Tucker but his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren would be living with its consequences on our treasured scenic landscapes.

Call to Action (wherever you live)

• Join us! Petition Governor Hassan to take a stronger stand in opposition to Northern Pass or write using the address below. Tell her “if Northern Pass does not agree to bury power lines, it should be stopped.”

Governor Maggie Hassan
State House
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301

• Please share the link to the petition with your friends who care about New Hampshire, or, to provide a recap of Pemi’s outreach, send them the link to this blog article.