ICYMI: Sudbury Selectmen 'Deeply Concerned' About Herbicides Used by Eversource

SUDBURY, MA—The Sudbury Board of Selectmen is voicing new concerns about the Eversource Sudbury to Hudson Transmission Reliability Project and the use of potentially-poisonous herbicides that "threaten public health and the environment," according to the board.

In a letter to Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton, the Board said it is “deeply concerned” about Eversource’s plan to clear cut 82-foot wide swaths of protected forest conservation land in Sudbury and use herbicides to prevent trees, foliage and other plants from growing back, according to an announcement from the town. "The herbicides pose a potentially serious threat to the town’s water supply, for residents that live near and abut the proposed project, and for animals and conversation land," said the release.

The letter closed with a request for intervention by Secretary Beaton and asked that the Eversource Sudbury to Transmission Reliability Project be postponed until further study and analysis can be done to understand the multitude of risks associated with the use of herbicides.

“The entire Eversource Sudbury to Hudson Transmission Reliability Project is fundamentally flawed and the Board takes the threat that this project poses to our community very seriously,” said Susan Iuliano, chair of the Board of Selectmen, in a statement. “We are requesting intervention by the state department of Energy and Environmental Affairs so that the Eversource project can be postponed. We strongly believe that further study is needed to determine the impact of herbicide use on the health and safety of residents, our town water supply, and the overall environment.”

The project, if approved, would construct 4.3 miles of high voltage transmission lines through Sudbury on an MBTA right-of-way. Selectmen say that wetlands would be destroyed along with other critical habitats for a number of animal and plant species.

"Hundreds of homes located within range of herbicide air contamination could experience adverse health, safety and economic impacts," continued the announcement. "Just as concerning, about 1.7 miles of the proposed route falls within a Zone II area of the Sudbury Water District’s gravel pack wells, which supply the sole source of drinking water for the town’s 18,000 residents."

In the letter, the board also criticized Eversource for failing to provide adequate information about the specific herbicides it would use for the project. The Board added that non-toxic alternatives are available, and that Eversource should commit to implementing a herbicide-free policy throughout Massachusetts.

“The long-term environmental and health risks from using herbicides far outweigh any short-term financial savings Eversource may generate from using these chemicals,” the Board wrote in the letter.

Respected environmental groups in Sudbury – including the Sudbury Valley Trustees and the Conservation Commission – also oppose the Eversource project in part due to the environmental risks it presents.

In April, the Sudbury Board of Selectmen, citing a number of health, safety, environmental and economic concerns, voted unanimously to oppose the Eversource Sudbury to Transmission Reliability Project. It has also retained counsel to represent the interests of Sudbury before the Energy Facilities Siting Board and DEP as part of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act review. Eversource is expected to submit its application to the state’s Energy Facilities Siting Board in September.

Information provided by the Sudbury Board of Selectmen