I am writing this letter to more formally comment on a recent letter to the Daily Bulldog, authored by Lynn St. Laurent of Hydro Quebec. Her letter was in direct response to a piece in the Daily Bulldog ‘penned’ by J. Nichols.
Let us not forget, right from the start, that HQ stands to make ~$500 million PER YEAR from the NECEC. No sense in beating around the bush to showcase HQ’s motivation for putting a large amount of lipstick on this NECEC pig.
It amuses me that large corporations have certain ways of presenting information that is either false or neglects to provide critical information – sort of ‘it’s not what you say that counts, it’s what you don’t say’ philosophy.
I keep seeing proponents refer to this hydropower as ‘clean energy’. It really isn’t. Here is a view into scientific research that began over 40 years ago:
Primary Harmful Physical Changes Caused by Hydro Dams
* Heat pollution of the atmosphere and river water
* Extreme regional climate change and coastal waters warming
* Reduction of flow energy required to deliver nutrients to coastal waters and ocean currents
* Stagnation of ocean currents that control global weather
Major Ramifications of the Physical Changes Wrought by Hydro Dams
* Loss of Arctic sea ice
* Sea Level Rise
* Destruction of the marine fisheries ecosystem
* Fragmentation of river related ecosystems
* Melting of the permafrost and methane releases
* Increased intensity of flooding and storms
* Cultural genocide
* Threatening United States national security due to climate change and destabilizing the world economy
* Mercury polluted water poisoning people and animals who consume fish
I went to the links that Ms. HQ provided as part of her critique of Mr. Nichols’ distrust of HQ’s approach to sustainability. I found one link took me to “Corporate Knights, A Voice for Clean Capitalism”. The opening line about HQ was as follows: “One sure sign Hydro-Québec is doing something right by its stakeholders is the growing number of requests the public utility says it has been getting to sponsor local sports teams across the province. More employees also appear to be wearing clothing with the company’s logo around the office and out in the community.” Certainly an endorsement that warms the heart of even the most ardent opponents of the NECEC, hey?
The constant cacophony of displacing carbon disguises the true nature of the problems created by dams worldwide. If we are truly going to be honest about HQ then let’s just acknowledge that building the dam means clearing land, pouring tons and tons of cement (from clean sources??? – ha) and then flooding thousands of acres of land, often woodlands that haven’t even been harvested. All of this creates large amounts of methane gas, a greenhouse gas (GHG) 20-30 times more harmful than CO2, that takes 5-10 years to dissipate. After this initial period emissions continue from these shallow lakes but at more manageable levels. But ‘clean energy’ no, perhaps cleaner energy could be used, but not ‘clean’.
As for methyl mercury – try this link for information: https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/methylmercury-poisoning-another-gift-hydro-quebec
It is laughable that Ms. HQ states that “no biodiversity is lost”. How would they know? Does HQ do a baseline EIS and then monitor changes over time at discreet intervals? Measuring biodiversity loss/change is a huge task and making a blanket statement as she does is disingenuous at best.
The Maine DEP may have carried out a review but, to date, there has never been an Environmental Impact Statement started on the NECEC. The results of the DEP’s “rigorous two-year review” is dubious at best without the information gathered through an EIS. Just one example: Do I want an HVDC line snaking through forested land on overhead poles when industry standards call for burying the line?
There has never been a direct and honest dialogue and exchange of scientifically-derived information between opponents and proponents of the NECEC. The deception employed by HQ, CMP, and Avangrid is inspiring as are the gigantic sums of money spent to convince us that this pig is good for Maine. HQ lost its chance for credibility when it failed to turn up for DEP hearings to make their case under oath.
What Maine wants is for foreign companies to stop trying influence Maine people and government solely for making a financial killing for a project that isn’t even needed because there are already existing routes from HQ to the New England grid.
Richard Aishton
Farmington
Well written and researched. This NEW agreement (Sarcasm filter off) is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It made some feel better… but you know what, the ship still sunk. So will the New England Clean Energy in November.
The argument against the transmission of hydroelectric energy is sounding more and more nationalist inspired every day. That’s not a good thing folks.
Jay, I agree somewhat, but HQ spending that kind of money (along with Avangrid and Iberdrola) is really quite obscene. Only because of some legal loophole in Maine law can a foreign entity meddle in our politics. This does have to be called out. It’s not nationalistic to highlight that there is considerable foreign influence and money involved to ram through this project. Let Maine decide what is good for Maine. We will bear the brunt of the environmental damage.
Note:
Several routes were proposed to transmit hydroelectric energy because a majority of New Englanders wish to reduce carbon emissions that are produced by the fossil fuels dependent structure currently in place. Those who wish to keep costs down by running that electricity overhead through Maine instead of underground through Vermont are not evil for desiring to do so. Neither are they ignoring the impact it will have, as efforts have been made to limit that impact to a 14 mile stretch of forested land routinely harvested over the decades.
You’ll have noticed by now that the opposition will change its facts and its focus an infinite number of times because they are less concerned that you will make an informed decision than they are that you will make the decision they want you to. If we’ve learned anything from the use of this tactic elsewhere it’s that those who behave this way are not to be trusted. If they wanted you to make an informed decision they never would have told you that CMP intended to cut a Jersey Turnpike sized swath through Maine and outfit it with Godzilla sized transmission towers in the first place. As I said, they don’t want you to make an informed decision, they want you to support their decision and they’ll accept nothing less.
Also, the notion that reservoirs created to support efforts to generate hydroelectricity in this part of the world also produce high levels of methane over the long term is not supported by the available research. Instead, the research available suggests that methane emissions resulting from the decay of flooded vegetation for the this purpose drops to a level consistent with that of natural bodies of water within decades. While this methane is 18 times more potent over a century than the CO2 it will replace (not 20-30 as was suggested above) the research suggests it may is no longer being released at elevated levels. By contrast, the CO2 emissions the author appears to favor continue so long as fossil fuels are burned and are released at such a rate that its concentration in our global atmosphere continues to grow at a rate of about 2.5 ppm annually.
Furthermore, the natural gas that will continue to be utilized if this hydroelectric project is defeated is itself nearly entirely composed of methane that concentrated beneath the surface of the earth over millions of years. So, rather than subject us to a decade or so of slightly elevated methane released from a rather small region, the author would clearly rather risk releasing millions of years worth of methane. If you want to talk research lets talk about the research which shows that far more methane is being released at the wellhead, in storage, and during transportation of natural gas than is likely ever to occur as a result of hydroelectric operations. I urge you all to inform yourselves on this topic because someone with just enough knowledge to understand the arguments in favor of alternative energy are using this forum to turn it against those who favor this alternative energy project.
Just a thing…He makes mention of Hydro-Quebec being active in the community as being a bad thing…JD Power listed CMP last because they didn’t do enough in the community, so pick a side already, either community involvement is bad or it isn’t. And again with the disdain for a foreign company…Hannaford’s grocery stores are a foreign company, Belgian. They make millions of dollars every year off the people of Maine…where’s the outcry? People spend more in a couple weeks at Hannaford’s than CMP charges in a month, I do any way. Where is the outcry for Hannaford’s to lower their prices, instead of always raising them. Beef went up $3 nobody bats an eye, CMP wants to raise the rate a few cents, and people are losing their minds.
The argument for the transmission of hydroelectric energy is sounding more and more like greedy lies every day.
Which is actually quite an accomplishment since it’s been corporate lies from day 1…
That’s not a good thing folks
Bad Foreign Companies Lying For Dollars,,
Everything Is Beautiful Folks.
Many thanks to you, Mr. Aishton! It is refreshing to have actual scientific information rather than emotionally charged “information.”
Jay,
The folks that are building the Corridor have limited the impact of that Corridor to a 14 mile stretch of forested land that is routinely harvested? Last l knew, the line was going to be over 143 miles long. They’re just not cutting in the Northwoods, they’re widening the existing line also. And routinely forested? Is there something bad about that? I just hiked Coburn Mountain and yes, some of it has been forested, but it still maintains its beauty and usefulness. Why string a high powered transmission line over it?
As to your remark on Godzilla sized transmission towers. In the 1954 film, Godzilla was scaled to be 164ft tall so it could peer over the tallest buildings in Tokyo at that time. The builders of this project will be putting up 120ft mono-towers with a so called 35ft tree hedge in the North Woods. I’d say those towers are going to dwarf that tree line and it’s going to ruin the view shed in that area.
So yeah, Godzilla sized towers is a good description for those ugly (camouflaged) poles.
Great letter Richard. I suspect Serge or Lynn will feel compelled to reply.
Terry,
You know as well as I that apart from the 14 mile stretch of new corridor the remainder will run along existing corridor. And, 120′ monopoles are a far cry from the metal towers opponents described as they initially sparked outrage. It’s quite clear that their only goal is to rile folk up given how fast and lose they are with hyperbole and statements which intentionally misinterpret research.
Jay, I wonder when cmp is sending their check to you for your commentary? As far as your comment regarding methane. You are ABSOLUTELY wrong. “Methane traps up to 100 times more heat in the atmosphere than CO2 within a 5 year period and 72x more within a 20 year period.” (onegreenplanet.org) “While CO2 persists in the atmosphere for centuries, or even millenia, methane warms the planet on steroids for a decade or two before decaying to CO2. In those short decades, methane warms the planet by 86 times as much as CO2, according the IPCC.” (scientificamerican.com)
Jay – in case you didn’t notice, the letter above refers directly to a letter by a HQ spokesperson. An opponent like me doesn’t change my tune, I respond to the crap coming from cmp, hq and avangrid. So, you ought to reframe your comment to read “I can’t believe all of the different forms of lies spewed by these companies. Can’t believe that the opponents have to address all of these different tangent pathways produced by their lobbyists and PR people”. THAT IS WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN. But of course you didn’t and wouldn’t because then your check would be delayed.
HB – nice job on the comment. I take it that a company is stellar in their sustainability because sports teams want uniforms? Jeez, do you ever read anything or just start writing?
Jay,
Your concern regarding the burning of natural gas is recognized. So, if you have been paying attention to this debacle from the beginning you would know that HQ’s contract with MA allows them to provide the power to MA “by any means they choose”. This includes the burning of fossil fuels. Tar sands even. HQ’s “future depends upon exports”. You can google this corporate/state strategy. They are trying to sell power to any and all comers. They claim they are “spilling”. If this is the case why are their contracts worded this way? They continue to try to sell to MA, NY, CT, RI, and now Maine, and who knows who else. As long as they have transmission and states willing to buy “clean energy” from them, and states like Maine willing to sell out, they can burn all the natural gas they want and sell it to the fools willing to buy it. MA would be wise to build natural gas plants within their borders and save the billion paid to the liars. Just because the natural gas isn’t burned in MA doesn’t mean it isn’t natural gas!
HrtlssBstrd,
So far Hannaford hasn’t spent 17 million to lie to me about beef prices. Or the price of tea from China.
Also, For anybody paying attention. CMP has OWNED Augusta for quite some time. If you are OK with this I do not trust you or your opinion. It is time for this to change and to change any that are owned in Augusta. Janet…..Are you listening?
Jay. How are you calculating 14 miles for the newly constructed section of corridor? From the Canadian border to Moxie, where they will begin to run parallel to the existing corridor, its a lot further than 14 miles…even as the crow flies.
ahhh what’s it Matter right,,
14 miles,,,114 miles it’s all the same right,,
A little wider here,,a little wider there,,
Now add a few more whirlygigs here and a few more whirlygigs over there,,
Now up the costs a little here,, and a little more over there,,
What’s a little lie over here,,, when they’ve already lied a lot over there.
The Corporations are lying.
Everyone knows its true.
Everything Is Beautiful.
The corporate interests behind the opposition are certainly lying. As an Earth Scientist educated by the University of Maine and Brown University I know that for certain, as I’ve watched those funded by them throw every environmental concern attributed to fossil fuel driven pollution at the hydroelectric industry in an attempt to defeat this project which will significantly reduce the amount of fuel they sell in New England. That’s the bottom line.
I suggest everyone operating as a stooge for the fossil fuels industry in this case find a way to understand that a diversified energy structure is superior to one that relies heavily on fossil fuels, both economically and in terms of reliability. If not for that industry’s efforts to limit growth in alternative energy technologies here in the United States we would now have a large share of that market globally. This is a shame because we are missing out on an opportunity to grow with it as we grew with fossil fuels.
I know some of you will insist that you really support alternative energy, but if you did you wouldn’t demand perfection from it while continuing to accept mediocrity from the fossil fuels industry. You’d instead admit that hydroelectricity has less impact on our environment than fossil fuels and would support its use because it’s a better alternative while continuing to look for something even less destructive. Instead you ask people to pretend as though this project won’t significantly reduce the damages now being done.
Jay,
I am real happy for you and your education. Well done. I would have assumed that someone educated at Brown might have checked the methane issue before posting something false as you did – and then not have the grace to acknowledge that error. Did they teach you that at Brown or UMO?
You seem bent on this corridor and the fossil fuel industry. Why don’t you acknowledge that these are really two separate problems, at least from the perspective of someone who understands environmental issues very well. The corridor is NOT a good idea for quite a number of reasons. The fossil fuel industry is taking advantage of a poor project design. What do you think the blowback would be if this line was buried? And why not simply run this through VT where permits are ready to go and this line will be buried. So instead of making $500 million a year maybe HQ only gets $300 mill/year? Do you also not understand that much of the resistance is a function of the outright corruption associated with this project proposal? Done the transparent way with honest assessments that include an EIS, input from OUTSIDE experts not selected cmp or MaineGov AND THEN LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS AND THE FACTS might have resulted in a far different outcome. When transparency is thwarted by procedure (as in what happened in many of the hearings) then it is obvious that one side does NOT want FACTS to surface.
Ozerki, You yourself has used the assessment of the JD Power group to paint the picture that CMP ranked last in the country, when the JD Power ranking was wholly based community involvement. So what if western Maine doesn’t have a little league diamond named CMP field, would you think any higher of the company if there was, my guess would be, no. So why then does it matter to people where JD Power ranked CMP? Does western Maine have electricity, yes. Is it reliable, for the most part yes, it’s a wooded state with gravity, trees will fall, lines will break, it is what it is, been happening for the almost 50 years of my life in western Maine, and until somebody turns off gravity, it will continue to happen, get used to it. Oh btw, the NECEC isn’t political, it’s a power line, an inanimate object, but if you disagree with CMP and HQ protecting their interests, then surely you must have a problem with “Stop the Corridor” using the tools and dark money(both Bangor Daily News and the Portland Press Herald did stories on “Stop the Corridor’s use of dark money) at their disposal to protect THEIR interests.
Hey Mainah, Do you remember that huge data breech at Hannaford’s where more than 4 million people had their identity and credit card information stolen in 2008, or the salmonella outbreak in 2011 linked to poor meat processing practices by Hannaford’s…yet despite all that, people didn’t demand that Hannford’s be shut down or sold off, I wonder why that is? Yet CMP wants to build a power line in the middle of nowhere and people have a problem with it…go figure.
Methane emissions from hydroelectric reservoirs are elevated for a short period time as flooded vegetation decays. In our climate these elevated levels last for only about a decade. After that methane emissions match that of natural bodies of water.
The release of methane from the capture, storage, and transportation of natural gas is far more concerning as there is no decline in its release over time. Instead, as with carbon released by other fossil fuels, methane is released at a rate commensurate with its utilization. In other words, the more natural gas you use the more methane you add to the atmosphere.
No energy solution is without impact. That’s the first thing you need to know before attempting to decide if you favor the introduction of more hydroelectric energy into New England’s electrical grid. Even solar and wind generation exact a toll on the environment, as they utilize materials that must be mined from the Earth. These operations often contaminate the surrounding environment with things like heavy metals. They are cheap either. As I’ve said before, according with data derived from the construction of the Pittsfield Solar Farm it would cost upwards of $2.4 billion to build a solar farm capable of generating the 1200 megawatts of electricity the NECEC will deliver. That’s nothing compared to the 14,000 acres of agriculture and forested lands it would impact.
The only industry you’ll help by refusing to present an accurate picture here is the fossil fuels industry. New England is not about to invest billions in solar and wind when it can get more bang for its buck with hydroelectricity. Our options were reduced to hydroelectricity or natural gas after decades of deliberation that took all factors into account.
HB
You whining about how life’s not fair cause nobody hates Hannaford is you getting what you deserve …
How’s it feel?
Get over it (as you like to tell others….).
We love who we choose..
CMP chooses not to fix it so…..
Haha.
Everything Is Beautiful.
HB – the point that you again missed is that this sports sponsorship was used in reference to a question/issue about sustainability. This is normally associated with practices, not the company’s PR status. Read Lynn’s letter. Sure, JD Power’s assessment is a relative comparison. But a company that burns down a large part of a state and pleads guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter ranks higher on customer/community involvement than cmp?? What?
And the point here is NOT purely electricity – it is about USING HVDC – the kind that started the fires in CA. Red up on them and think about dry, wooded areas with gravity and all. I am sure you will spin/twist this another way, but the fact is that HVDC lines, according to industry standards should be buried because of the fire hazard implicit in the way they work. Why would people support something that provides a much greater probability of starting a fire when there is another choice (actually 2 choices: (1) don’t build it; or (2) bury it)
Nice work bringing up the dark money aspect. You must have gotten your check from cmp and they asked you to troll for them some more. Sure these companies will protect their interests, particularly when HQ stands to lose $500 million/year for at least 4 years = $2 BILLION. So, why aren’t opponents also free to argue the point. You appear to accept and applaud the fact that these companies can do what they want and that no one should really be against it. Why don’t we just tell them to use their existing route(s) to the NE grid or have them bury it in VT where permits are all approved and they are waiting for the word “GO”??? If you are all hot for this electricity then does it matter if it goes through VT and not Maine? MA still gets it, so what’s the rub?
Jay, Read the letter about which we are talking. It states 5-10 years for methane. I already provided you that information in my response with reference links. So, what are you now arguing about? Just admit that you jumped the gun and didn’t read something correctly. No harm in that, right?
Still curious as to where Jay is coming up with just 14 miles of new corridor…
Ozerki, The PG&E fire the big one anyway was cause by what I heard was a broken jumper cable, these are insulators that keep the power flowing in the right direction and provide stress relief for high tension wires, for suspension type power lines, like the sort that hang under the crossbar of a transmission pylon, thankfully CMP doesn’t use that sort of transmission line that requires the jumper cable strain insulator, nope CMP prefers to use the single pole or the “H” poles and run the wires over the top of the crossbar, and instead uses multiple fuses, and porcelain insulators to run the wires through. So in short the PG&E transmission line is an entirely different set up than CMP is going to use.
Private Planet, Me whining, nope just pointing out the double standard, but people love the double standard don’t they, even you, “We love, who we choose.”(should be whom). The saying that is the epitome of the double standard, congrats on nailing it.
Hey Mainah, A little “honesty” from Stop the Corridor, it seems the only thing they got right was the name.
“The New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) is Central Maine Power’s proposed 145-mile long corridor of thousands of high-voltage megatowers cut through the Maine woods. CMP’s corridor would be as wide as the New Jersey Turnpike, and the towers each as large as the Eastland Hotel in Portland. This corridor would be cut through pristine Maine wilderness.” – taken from Stop the Corridor’s home page.
Hydroelectricity is clean energy? How many hydroelectric dams have been decommissioned and removed from Maine rivers? Why?
Since hydroelectricity is so clean, why would anyone in Maine want a foreign company, and government, selling power to us when we have an abundance of rivers we can dam and make our own electricity?
I’m starting a new company, Maine Hydro. I’m looking for investors. Who’s interested?
HB – this is an HVDC line, it requires different connections than what cmp is used to, which is why so many out-of-state companies are part of this contractual arrangement. HVDC, as I understand, does not even use coated wires, the ‘coating’ is a think band of electrons that accumulate around the wire as the electrons ‘zip’ through the line. And I really don’t see where these jumper cables come into play because there are many things that can bring down a pole or wire. cheers
14 miles? Anyone? Beuller?