Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!

Northern Pass Asks AG To Help It Get Balsams Route

Chris Jensen for NHPR

The Northern Pass project isn’t ready to give up on running its power lines near the Balsams Resort in the Dixville Notch.

Earlier this month the Tillotson Corp. announced it was selling a conservation easement for about 5,800 acres of land around the Balsams to the Forest Society.

That would block the attempts by Northern Pass to run its electric towers through the area.

Northern Pass also wanted to buy part of the land.

Now Northern Pass officials have asked the attorney general’s charitable trust unit to reject the deal between Tillotson and the Forest Society, which has opposed Northern Pass.

In the letter the Northern Pass says it offered $2.2 million for a right-of-way.

Meanwhile the Forest Society offered only $850,000 for a conservation easement on a much larger parcel.

Consequently, Northern Pass says “there is no reasonable basis” for Tillotson to have rejected its offer.

Failing to accept the offer is a failure of the trust’s fiduciary responsibility, Northern Pass argues.

Jack Savage is a spokesman for The Forest Society.

“Clearly the Tillotson Corporation made a decision that our proposal was in the best interest of the North Country.”

The letter also hints at the possibility of a suit.

“I think the threat of legal action is essentially the equivalent of eminent domain.”

For NHPR News this is Chris Jensen

To see a copy of the Northern Pass letter to the AG: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/279214/northern-pass-letter.pdf

 

  

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.