Negative Effects on Views and Mountains in New Hampshire
In order to bury the powerlines, there will be long strips of mountains that will be clear-cut and bare of vegetation, as the construction will hurt the landscape exponentially. This would allow for the mainstream mountains to remain mostly untouched, while others, such as the ones outside of Easton and Lincoln would be severely hurt. The original route of the Northern Pass would have destroyed the White Mountains and their great views. The new route of the Northern Pass puts these power lines underground but is still detrimental to much of New Hampshire’s wildlife.
As the New Hampshire is home to the White Mountains, the pristine condition of the mountains is paramount to tourism flow and property value in the state. During construction of these powerlines and of the digging for underground lines, views will be severely hurt for those who live in an affected area, as well as those travelling for tourism in the affected area. Constructing the Northern Pass power lines will have many consequences, most affecting New Hampshire only. In the short, construction of power lines will cause view damage to the residents who live along the proposed route. On the other hand, this will be a long-term consequence, as this will affect the homeowner’s property value, as well as a tourist’s willingness to travel to New Hampshire for the mountain views that residents love (Cousineau). These consequences have been overlooked by Eversource, as well as the rest of New England who supports the Northern Pass.
Economic Consequences in New Hampshire
One of New Hampshire’s greatest assets is the natural landscape of the mountains, lakes, and views. The landscape gives many features to the state’s businesses such as the ski industry, restaurants, and even our state parks. New Hampshire’s 5.5 billion dollar tourism industry is driven by what the state has to offer from its natural amenities (Koziol). Winter tourism during the 2017 – 2018 year has estimated to have given New Hampshire about one billion dollars in revenue (Koziol). Much of this revenue is brought from attraction to the mountains of the granite state and skiing in the state. If power line routes affect the ability to get to the mountains, or views from the mountains, this revenue could greatly decrease.
During the rest of the year in the state, New Hampshire sees its revenue increase during the summer and fall seasons. During these months, visitors from out of state come to see our beautiful mountains and lakes. If views of these mountains and lakes had powerlines running directly across them, they would not be as desirable as they were when they were previously untouched. For business owners in the state, as well as taxpayers, the Northern Pass should be an alarming project that will have harsh penalties across all aspects of the state.
While businesses and tourism may be starkly affected by the Northern Pass, a far overlooked drawback to the project will be the loss in home value. For those who live in the affected areas, property value could plummet due to damaged views, or due to having power lines in what feels like their own backyard (Opposition to Northern Pass Project). For those who live near overhead power lines, there will be a constant buzzing, as well as a danger and threat to children and wildlife. For those who live near the proposed underground lines, there will be a threat of weakened and barren soil, issues with digging near their homes, and the possibility for repairs to be intrusive if the project is completed. During the time of construction, families will suffer from noise pollution and will be subject to 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.
Cousineau, Michael. “Northern Pass Officials Describe Plymouth Impacts | New Hampshire.”UnionLeader.com, Union Leader Corporation, 2 May 2017, www.unionleader.com/energy/northern-pass-officials-describe-plymouth-impacts--20170502.
Koziol, John. “NH Tourism Officials Say Both Visitors and Spending Expected to Be up 4 Percent This Winter | New Hampshire.” NewHampshire.com, Union Leader Corporation, 10 Nov. 2017, www.newhampshire.com/tourism/NH-tourism-officials-say-both-visitors-and-spending-expected-to-be-up-4-percent-this-winter-11102017.