Proposed Eversource Project Would be “Exorbitant” Financial Burden
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The proposed Eversource Sudbury to Hudson Transmission Reliability Project will take a financial toll on Sudbury, creating new economic burdens for residents, businesses and the Town budget.
The Board of Selectmen expressed their concerns about the “truly exorbitant” costs of the proposed Eversource project in a letter written to state Rep. Thomas Golden and Sen. Benjamin Downing last month. In that letter, Town Manager Melissa Murphy Rodrigues outlined a variety of costs associated with Eversource’s plan to clear-cut a wide swath of protected forest conservation land to make way for 4.3 miles of above-ground high voltage transmission wires – such as potential water contamination, environmental degradation and lower property values, all of which would negatively impact the Town budget.
“The proposed Eversource project provides no direct benefit to the Town of Sudbury,” said Board of Selectmen Chair Susan Iuliano. “Despite this, our residents and businesses are being asked to shoulder an enormous financial burden. Not only does this fundamentally flawed Eversource project negatively impact the quality of life in our community, it presents a number of very serious financial, environmental and public health risks.
The Eversource project, which involves the potential use of herbicides and the clear-cutting of forests, would harm some of the Town’s most valuable conversation land and green space. As a result, the Town could face costs associated with remediation and other efforts to mitigate – as much as possible – the environmental damage created by the project. Additional costs could also result from impacts to the Town water supply. 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. If contamination occurs, it would be difficult and expensive to remediate.
Another key economic concern is the effect the proposed Eversource project will have on home values and the overall Town budget. Abutters and other homeowners located within close proximity to the project could face a decline in home values. Selling a home in these areas could also become more difficult. As a result, fewer taxes may be collected, resulting in less revenue and less funding for necessary programs, services and infrastructure.
Earlier this spring, the Board of Selectman voted unanimously to oppose the Eversource Sudbury to Hudson Transmission Reliability Project, and the Board continues to actively voice its concerns about it. Eversource is moving forward with plans – which, if approved – would run 4.3 miles of high voltage above-ground power lines through Sudbury neighborhoods, in conservation land, and along a National Wildlife Refuge, while spraying dangerous herbicides within proximity to hundreds of homes. It would also require a massive clear-cutting of local forest, destroying critical habitats for a number of plant and animal species, and creating a number of public health and safety hazards.
The Board of Selectmen will bring these concerns before the state Siting Board as it considers Eversource’s Sudbury to Hudson transmission line project. There are paths to achieve transmission reliability without inflicting lasting local harm.