By Nancy West, InDepthNH.org
IBEW Local 4 business manager Brian Murphy accused the Conservation Law Foundation of blasting Northern Pass in a full-page ad in Sunday’s Boston Globe because it has a “financial partnership” with TDI, a competing project bidding for the Mass. Clean Energy contract. CLF denied the allegation.
Murphy’s allegation, which he made in an op-ed piece Monday (see below) was echoed in a blog on Northern Pass’ website.
“CLF’s financial partnership with TDI, the developer of the New England Clean Power Link project, dates back to 2015,” Murphy wrote. “At that time, CLF signed an agreement with TDI that put over $250 million into various environmental organizations with the requirement that CLF have a leadership role in these various environmental special interests.”
Further, this money benefits other New England states, notably Vermont, and does not flow to Massachusetts or New Hampshire, Murphy said.
CLF’s response
Melissa Birchard, staff attorney for Conservation Law Foundation, emailed a response. (see below)
“Brian Murphy’s January 22 opinion piece invents facts out of whole cloth. Contrary to its baseless claims, CLF has no financial partnership or relationship with the developers of the TDI electric transmission project – a project that would deliver an amount of energy to the New England grid equivalent to that proposed by Northern Pass,” Birchard said.
Birchard said CLF reached an agreement with TDI not to oppose permitting for its transmission infrastructure based on the fact that the project will be buried completely underground and under Lake Champlain, has no opposition from local communities, and makes significant commitments to provide funding for renewable energy projects and Lake Champlain clean-up programs.
“Not a dollar of TDI’s money comes to CLF. To ensure that TDI delivers on its commitments, CLF agreed to serve with other stakeholders on an Advisory Panel. CLF hasn’t take a position on TDI’s energy bid in the Massachusetts RFP,” Birchard said.
Northern Pass blog
Northern Pass’ blog is posted under the headline “Conflict of Interest: Conservation Law Foundation Lacks Transparency” dated Monday.
“CLF’s repeated attacks on the project are based on a financial deal it cut with a competing project in Vermont proposed by a New York developer. As an administrator of a fund in excess of $250 million associated with that project, CLF has a clear conflict of interest that it does not disclose when it attempts to diminish the importance of the substantial benefits Northern Pass will provide directly to Massachusetts, New Hampshire and the rest of New England,” the blog states.
It lists those benefits as jobs, reducing carbon emissions by more than 3 million tons a year, energy savings that “reduce the region’s wholesale costs by about $600 million a year,” and the project’s in-service time of 2020, two years ahead of any other proposal.
As to support for the project, the blog said “Northern Pass has earned the respect of New Hampshire’s largest businesses and chambers of commerce, as well as the governor, legislative leaders, organized labor and many of the state’s small businesses, workers and service providers who will benefit from the project’s $1.6 billion investment.”
CLF’s Boston Globe ad accused Northern Pass of lying in its Mass. Clean Energy RFP bid and asks Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker to disqualify Northern Pass’ bid.
“The Eversource/Northern Pass proposal – a 192-mile project slicing through New
Hampshire communities and scenic, priceless landscapes – is unacceptable for its
environmental impacts alone,” the CLF ad states.
“But even these concerns are overshadowed by the company’s dishonest and disdainful treatment of communities and regulatory agencies in the permitting and bidding process.”
The ad says the Northern Pass bid claims the project would be fully approved by the end of 2017.
“In reality, Northern Pass has not received permission from the New Hampshire Site
Evaluation Committee, has not received a number of necessary authorizations to
begin construction on the line, and has not even applied for certification by the
U.S. Department of Energy or state regulators for their proposed hydro-wind project,” the ad says.
As to the claim of broad support for Northern Pass, the ad says: “Of the 1,500 public comments submitted, more than 90 percent oppose the project.”
Op-Ed piece submitted by Brian Murphy of Walpole, MA. He is the Business Manager for IBEW Local 104. IBEW 104 represents over 1,000 outside electrical workers in New England.
The recent paid advertising by the Conservation Law Foundation against the Northern Pass transmission project should not be a surprise to citizens of New England or those making decisions regarding Massachusetts Clean Energy Initiative. As my uncle always said, the answer to the question is usually money.
While CLF’s continued assault on our region’s economic development efforts and working families is disappointing, what is most troubling is CLF’s continued lack of transparency when it comes to their financial interests and partnerships with some energy projects and the positions they publically extol. While CLF disparages Northern Pass, it promotes a nearly identical hydroelectric project because the group has a large financial partnership with the project’s developers.
CLF’s financial partnership with TDI, the developer of the New England Clean Power Link project, dates back to 2015. At that time, CLF signed an agreement with TDI that put over $250 million into various environmental organizations with the requirement that CLF have a leadership role in these various environmental special interests. Further, this money benefits other New England states, notably Vermont, and does not flow to Massachusetts or New Hampshire.
As with all large energy infrastructure projects, there are negative environmental impacts from TDI’s project; however, CLF does not speak of any negative impacts of the TDI project because it has signed an agreement that prevents them from talking about it. CLF is contractually obligated to stay silent about the TDI project and not get involved in anything that might be considered counter to the TDI project.
So, while CLF decries the negative environmental impacts of Canadian hydroelectric power used by the Northern Pass project, it has a financial partnership with a competing project that relies on the exact same source of Canadian hydroelectric power.
Unlike the TDI-CLF financial partnership where the benefits of the energy project flow almost exclusively to CLF and environmental special interests, the Northern Pass has directed its benefits to working families in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and established more than $200 million in benefits aimed at growing our states’ economies, creating jobs and investing in new clean energy technologies.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has taken an active role in promoting some electric transmission projects because of their importance to the workers of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. We have worked diligently to ensure that energy projects utilize local labor and that benefits from these projects flow to our home states. Our motivations are to create work for our members and we strive to be transparent about our interests.
Massachusetts and New Hampshire citizens should demand the same of others that seek to influence your position on these important issues.
Response sent by Melissa Birchard of the Conservation Law Foundation:
Brian Murphy’s January 22 opinion piece invents facts out of whole cloth. Contrary to its baseless claims, CLF has no financial partnership or relationship with the developers of the TDI electric transmission project – a project that would deliver an amount of energy to the New England grid equivalent to that proposed by Northern Pass.
CLF reached an agreement with TDI not to oppose permitting for its transmission infrastructure based on the fact that the project will be buried completely underground and under Lake Champlain, has no opposition from local communities, and makes significant commitments to provide funding for renewable energy projects and Lake Champlain clean-up programs. Not a dollar of TDI’s money comes to CLF. To ensure that TDI delivers on its commitments, CLF agreed to serve with other stakeholders on an Advisory Panel. CLF hasn’t take a position on TDI’s energy bid in the Massachusetts RFP.
Time and again, Northern Pass has tried to sell its project based on deception. From claiming the project has broad public support (it doesn’t) to pretending it’s ready for prime time (it’s not), Northern Pass continues to spread misinformation. It’s disappointing that Mr. Murphy, on behalf of the IBEW – which has been actively promoting Northern Pass for years in the face of overwhelming community concern – has been willing to take a page from that unfortunate playbook.
Conservation Law Foundation To Mass. Gov. Baker: Disqualify Northern Pass’ Energy Bid