I came across a recent column in a Connecticut newspaper regarding power line rights-of-way as havens for some nesting birds.
“…The most important source of habitat for shrubland specialists are the open corridors (rights-of-way) maintained along power lines…”
Here in New Hampshire, when our hikes include a utility right of way, we often spot birds and other wildlife.
Global emissions of carbon have experienced their largest annual increase ever, as described in this recent NY Times report.
One of the benefits of The Northern Pass project is that it will replace an identical amount of energy produced by the burning of fossil fuels. A study by Charles River Associates found that that the project may result in an annual reduction of up to 5 million tons of CO2 emissions.
This was on my mind today when I read this NYTimes green blog post noting the difficulty in getting new, significant, renewable energy projects up and running.
Given the economic challenges around the world, projects are being stalled or cancelled due to financial worries.
The Northern Pass doesn’t require a subsidy, like wind projects, for example. It is participant funded, meaning we customers won’t be charged for the infrastructure needed to connect the source of the power to our regional marketplace.
We don’t have many opportunities to reduce carbon emissions at the rate that The Northern Pass offers.
Let’s take advantage!