From Franklin: No Free Pass for Northern Pass

Letter: No free pass for Northern Pass For the Monitor Friday, February 15, 2013
To the Editor:

With all due respect to City Manager Elizabeth Dragon, it is important to note that she does not speak for everyone in Franklin when it comes to the desire to have Northern Pass become a part of our landscape. Many of us do not have faith that the tax revenue “promised” to Franklin will, in fact, materialize to the extent they are promised.

We live in a relatively new development in Franklin. The city requires that all new developments bury their utility lines, yet it is not willing to hold Northern Pass to the same standard. We are delighted that our lines are underground; however, our neighborhood still loses power from time to time because the lines out on the street that feed our neighborhood are not stable. Burying lines goes beyond aesthetics; it provides a more stable service and eliminates most outages.

Why should we allow a project that is not necessary for our electrical needs to impact our landscape when our current provider, PSNH, will not invest in upgrading (burying?) existing lines to improve service?

To respond to concern that burying transmission lines would cause developers to go elsewhere, that simply is not true. Our neighborhood is proof of that.

If Franklin feels it is important to ask a small developer to bury its lines, why should they be giving a “free pass” to Northern Pass?

JUDITH A. ACKERSON
Franklin