Northern Pass: State criticizes federal conclusions on possible electrical shocks

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⇒Comments from NH Department of Environmental Services to the U.S. Department of Energy

A conclusion made by federal officials that electrical shocks that could occur under proposed Northern Pass transmission lines would not be harmful to people has been questioned by state environmental officials.

The state Department of Environmental Services raised that question and others in its 20-page formal comments document filed with the U.S. Department of Energy’s draft environmental impact statement on Northern Pass.

Other issues raised by the state involved the possibility of earthquakes near the proposed Franklin Converter Station along with health and pollution issues.

The federal draft said that “beneath HVAC lines, microshocks, possibly at annoying levels, may occur with individuals who touch vehicles or other large conductive objects that are parked beneath the lines.”

But then concluded that “any such shocks would be below harmful levels…”

The state comments filed April 4 with the U.S. Department of Energy stated: “It is not clear why receiving electrical shocks would not be considered harmful.”

Northern Pass spokesman Martin Murray declined to comment on the state filing on the controversial plan to bring hydroelectric power from Hydro Quebec through 192 miles of transmission lines from Pittsburg to Deerfield. The plan was proposed by Eversource.

“We are not commenting on any of the ‘final comments’ on the DEIS submitted to the DOE. The DES’ comments are one of many and it serves little purpose at this point to comment on comments that the DOE is now considering as it develops the ‘Final’ EIS,” Murray said in an email response.

“Certainly, feel free to report on the project’s own comments to the DOE. They are filed separately, per issue, (“property value impact” … “tourism and land use impact” etc…) and you can access them here,” Murray said.

Gov. Maggie Hassan’s spokesman William Hinkle said: “The Governor has made clear that if Northern Pass is to move forward, it must propose a project that protects our scenic views and treasured natural resources while also reducing energy costs for our families and businesses.”

⇒Click here for the rest of the story on InDepthNH.com, including the governor’s full statement.

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About InDepthNH: Nancy West founded the nonprofit New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism in April. West is the executive editor of the center’s investigative news website, InDepthNH.org. West has won many awards for investigative reporting during her 30 years at the New Hampshire Union Leader. She has taught investigative journalism at the New England Center for Investigative Reporting’s summer program for pre-college students at Boston University. West is passionate about government transparency. The New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, formerly called Investigative News Network, which is also InDepthNH.org’s fiscal sponsor. Click here to read about INN to learn more about the mission of nonprofit news.