AMC Birds-Eye Video of Proposed Northern Pass Towers

Using Northern Pass's own projected tower locations and tower heights, the Appalachian Mountain Club created a series of flyover videos showing the visual impact of the proposed overhead towers. For their part  Northern Pass objected to the AMC's visual representation. Of course Northern Pass has also been telling those who live near the proposed transmission line that they will "pay to put up awnings" or "plant 100-foot  trees" to block views of the towers, somehow missing the point that abutters want their view unspoiled, not blocked. As an aside, successfully re-planting a 100-foot mature Eastern White Pine successfully is a somewhat ludicrous idea.

It's also worth noting that former PSNH CEO Gary Long, in touting Northern Pass, has said that  in his case he "likes to look at towers." So maybe the disagreement isn't so much about how many towers can be seen from where but whether or not they are appropriate structures in places like the White Mountain National Forest and other conserved lands.

"Northern Pass’s June 2013 preferred route for the northernmost 74 miles is of great concern to our organization and many others who value northern New Hampshire’s character and rugged beauty," the AMC said. "The AMC is conducting a new visual impact analysis of the half-mile range along the full Northern Pass corridor and we provide the video series depicting the visual impact of proposed transmission towers along the 186-mile route."

Sen. Ayotte Says Northern Pass Should Pay to Bury Lines

According to a story on NHPR by Chris Jensen that can be read or heard here, Senator Kelly Ayotte say she has serious reservation about Northern Pass as proposed and that the transmission lines should be buried instead of being overhead on towers.

“I know there have been other projects around the country that have been buried and if they could bury the lines here that would be the most appropriate thing to do,” she said.

NEPGA: DOE Should Suspend Northern Pass Application

Sandi Hennequin, vice president of the New England Power Generators Association, writes in teh Union Leader that the Department of Energy should suspend the Northern Pass Presidential Permit Application from further consideration. She writes:

The amended application Northern Pass filed last summer is not complete. The project doesn’t have necessary site control. It does not even offer a feasible alternative if it does not obtain site control of its preferred route. The pending application misrepresents the project’s likely impacts, uses outdated and inaccurate data and fails to provide necessary information.

 The piece can be read in full here.