NH Forest Society Aims to Block Northern Pass

The Society for the Protection of NH Forests announced a plan today to raise $2.5 million for conservation easements to block the Northern Pass power project.

WMUR reports the Forest Society aims to raise the money by Oct. 31.

A spokesman for Northern Pass noted the Society, just three years ago, voted to support the new transmission lines from Canada into New Hampshire as a way to import more hydro and wind power.

Northern Pass issued a statement in response. Here it is, in part:

"SPNHF has used this project as a convenient fundraising tool to lock up land and prevent it from being used for economic development and job creation. We see today’s announcement as more of the same. They’ve tried and failed to stop the project. We will continue to work with willing landowners, because New Hampshire and the region need the clean energy, hundreds of jobs and many economic benefits it will deliver to residents for decades to come.

We have responded to previous concerns about the project by removing proposed alternative routes, and we’ve made exceptional progress over the course of the last several months in securing a new route in the North Country that has the support of landowners."