Eversource giving away land bought for failed Northern Pass project
Jun. 26—Years after secretly buying North Country properties, Eversource is giving away thousands of acres of land once earmarked for the failed Northern Pass power transmission project, including some to private parties who previously owned certain parcels.
Transferring ownership of the land represents a final step for Northern Pass. The transfers include 92 properties in 15 towns and four counties and vary in size from seven to 330 acres, according to Eversource.
"The properties were all disposed of at no cost," Eversource spokesman William Hinkle said in an email.
The majority of the 5,300 acres being transferred are in Coos County.
"This is the final chapter of Northern Pass in Coos County," said Stewartstown resident Harry Brown, who sought money from the project to support off-highway recreational vehicles.
The majority of the land is going to R&B Rentals LLC (Bear Rock Adventures in Pittsburg) and Dead Water LLC (managed by Wagner Forest Management).
"Bear Rock Adventures has long been committed to supporting outdoor recreation, as well as economic development and environmental stewardship in New Hampshire, and similarly, Wagner has a longstanding presence in the state, conducting sustainable forest management and partnering with the state on recreational and conservation initiatives," Eversource said in a statement.
Officials at Bear Rock Adventures couldn't be reached Monday.
Northern Pass's $1.6 billion project called for widening existing rights-of-way, creating new paths through environmentally sensitive areas and installing structures higher than 150 feet in places along a 192-mile route through more than 30 Granite State communities. Northern Pass later agreed to bury more miles of the project underground.
The Northern Pass project cost Eversource shareholders $318 million when it was scrubbed in 2019 after the state Supreme Court denied a request by Northern Pass officials to order the state Site Evaluation Committee to reopen deliberations.
Jack Savage, president of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, recalled working to secure properties by easement or purchase in an attempt to block Northern Pass from arranging a route for its proposed transmission line.
"They were trying to achieve an objective and knowing we were trying to foil that objective, it's no wonder they played their cards close to the vest," Savage said.
"There were those who characterized it as a game of chess," he said.
Northern Pass was willing to pay a premium to acquire properties.
In 2015, Renewable Properties Inc., an Eversource subsidiary tasked with buying land, paid nearly $100,000 more to acquire one Bethlehem property than the previous buyer paid less than two weeks earlier, the Union Leader previously reported.
It paid more than $500,000 more than middlemen who bought five properties from their previous owners, according to then-Grafton County Attorney Lara Saffo.
Kenneth Bowes, Eversource's vice president of engineering, told a state committee considering the project that it paid "certainly above the appraised value, yes."
On Monday, Bill Quinlan, Eversource's president of transmission and offshore wind projects, said the land will be put to good use.
"Regardless of the outcome of any individual project or proposal, we're committed every day to supporting our communities and the state in efforts to spur economic development and promote environmental stewardship to help keep New Hampshire a special place to live, work and visit," Quinlan said in a statement.
"We're pleased that Bear Rock Adventures and Wagner Forest will be taking responsibility for the use of these parcels moving forward and are confident they will do so in a manner consistent with their longstanding support for the state's strong interest in recreation and environmental stewardship," he said.
