Letter: Speak Out for the Connecticut River!
Turners Falls Dam. Photo: Paul Franz / Flckr.com. (CC BY-ND 2.0) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/masstravel/29464169553)
After over 11 years, the public has just 60 days, until April 22, to comment on new licenses proposed by FirstLight Power for the Turners Falls Dam and Northfield Pump Storage Facility
On Thursday, February 22, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a so-called Ready for Environmental Analysis (REA) for these facilities as well as three hydropower facilities in Vermont. In addition starting the clock on a 60-day public comment period on the licenses, the REA also triggers a 12-month period during which Mass Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) can ask for conditions on the licenses to comply with the Clean Water Act. The public will have an opportunity to push Mass DEP to do its job and condition the licenses during this period.
Please visit the Connecticut River Conservancy website for more information – Connecticut River Conservancy – Clean water. Healthy habitat. Thriving Communities. and sign up to receive emails from Western Mass Rights of Nature about advocacy efforts.
Sarah Matthews
Sarah Matthews is a resident of Amherst and a member of Western Mass Rights of Nature
This is indeed a travesty! Visit http://www.ctriver.org/hydropower to add your voice in defense of the Connecticut River ecosystem.
For background, see “Connecticut River Defenders Rally to Stop Destruction by FirstLight Power by Merri Ansara (6/4/23) at https://masspeaceaction.org/connecticut-river-defenders-rally-to-stop-destruction-by-firstlight-power/
“The issue is that FirstLight has engineered a reverse river flow channel that suctions out not just water from the River but fish and other elements of the ecosystem and destroys them. Speakers explained that not only was this destructive to the river and all that is in it, but that it is not even necessary: FirstLight is a backup system on reserve in case of a future need.”
Also, read “Connecticut River Hydropower Agreements Fail the Public’s River” By Angela Chaffee (3/23/22) at https://www.ctriver.org/connecticut-river-hydropower-agreements-fail-the-publics-river/
“…The timeframes given to FirstLight Power to install fish passage projects and a barrier net at Northfield Mountain are lengthy and unnecessary.”
“Other than the barrier net, the agreement does not address impacts from Northfield Mountain, and in fact it allows FirstLight to use a larger operating range in the upper reservoir and this will increase impacts,” noted Andrea Donlon, CRC River Steward. “It also does not prevent FirstLight Power from dewatering parts of Barton Cove, as happened in the summer of 2021 when boats were stranded due their excessive pumping at Northfield Mountain. Summer, fall, and winter flows from the Turners Falls dam are also not enough to meet water quality standards and support aquatic life.”
“The failure of the Turners Falls hydropower project to adequately pass migratory fish has been known for decades, and Northfield Mountain has been operating for many years without any protection against fish being killed by the turbines. These facilities have had a significant detrimental impact on the public’s ability to restore historic migratory fish populations. “This agreement, if enacted in state and federal licenses, will mean that upstream fish passage at Turners Falls will not be completed until 2032… We think the public won’t want to wait that long to see a new fish lift, either,” noted Andrew Fisk. Those interested can learn how to speak up for the river and the fish at http://www.ctriver.org/hydropower.” (Scroll down to “How to Speak Up for Your Rivers”.)