unpleasant living conditions during this time. Living near the proposed route is scary for homeowners before the project has been approved, yet if the project is approved, these homeowners maybe be soon living a nightmare.
New Hampshire Opinion of the Northern Pass
The Northern Pass affects the North Country of New Hampshire disproportionately. As the power from the Quebec Hydroelectric plant will be running from Pittsburg to Franklin, and from Franklin to Deerfield on already granted power line ways, the North Country receives the brunt of the costs and consequences. Of all towns affected by the route of the Northern Pass, only one town approves of the measure; Franklin (Opposition to the Northern Pass Project). This town will benefit from the substation in their town as Eversource will begin to use the town as a base of operations when it comes to the project. For the rest of the towns affected, none approve of the measure. For clear reasons, these towns reject the principle of the Northern Pass, as it will not only hurt the White Mountain National Forest, but the towns’ property as well. During a tour of the towns on the route of the proposed project, many mayors and municipal officials expressed
their disdain for the
project to Eversource,
investors, and the NH
SEC (Roantree).
The town of
Plymouth stands
against the Northern
Pass Project. Multiple
businesses along
Main St. have “No to
Northern Pass” signs
in their windows and
their owner’s will
gladly tell any
customer why they do
not support the project. In the proposed route, Main St. in Plymouth will be torn up in order for Eversource to dig and bury the power lines for the project. Although plans for this were to be during the summer when the town is in a slow season, business owners will still lose of on revenue that they count on for their business to survive. Northern Pass Project manager Samuel Johnson stated that the project, “would take an estimated three months for construction moving from south of the Baker River through downtown Plymouth” (Cousineau). Three months of lost parking spaces for local businesses, lost revenue, and a possibility for lost jobs. These business owners have pushed within the town to deny the project access to Main St. Business owners and citizens from the town have made it clear that they do not want the Northern Pass in their town. In the picture below, supplied by the Laconia Daily Sun, are just a few of the many people that protested the project in Plymouth Town Commons. Protests like these have occurred more often as the project looked to take Main St. in Plymouth away from its citizens.
For much of the Granite State, the Northern Pass is a detriment to the state’s economy and way of life. To really see