GREENFIELD — Environmental advocacy group Greening Greenfield brought together some 50 concerned residents in an online forum on Monday to discuss FirstLight Hydro Generating Co’s controversial license renewal process.
The panel, according to Nancy Hazard of Greening Greenfield, was necessitated by community frustration over FirstLight’s slow license renewal process and concern over the company’s environmental ethics.
Most of the hour-long session consisted of State Representative Natalie Blais, State Senator Jo Comerford and Connecticut River Conservancy Steward Andrea Donlon sharing how active they have been to ensure FirstLight’s three facilities for license renewal do not further compromise the health of the river. Greening Greenfield concluded the meeting by imploring the public to write letters to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) advocating for a process of a “robust” public audience.
Blais and Comerford each showed their support for Greening Greenfield, with Blais calling their advocacy “amazing service to everyone” and Comerford saying, “I love Greening Greenfield”. Politicians also explained that they had long been dealing with FirstLight’s license renewal issues, with Blais going so far as to call the subject one of the first things she had to address after taking office.
“One of the very first emails I received was about the FirstLight license renewal process,” she said. “Rarely a month went by without correspondence on this matter.”
The three facilities awaiting license renewal – a hydroelectric pump facility at Northfield Mountain and two hydroelectric dams at Turners Falls – have been criticized for their impact on the river and surrounding environment. The Connecticut River Conservancy said the dams affected fish migration and changes in river flow impacted wildlife habitats and caused excessive bank erosion. The Northfield Mountain Hydroelectric Pump Storage Facility has also been criticized for its impact on fish populations.
Greening Greenfield and his supporters have collectively expressed skepticism that the DEP’s planned public hearing process is sufficient to address these concerns. The DEP, which will review FirstLight’s water quality certificate application, is currently planning two public hearings, but a lack of further details has prompted environmental activists to demand more.
“I hear from you tonight that two isn’t enough. … We’ll be pushing for stronger public opportunities,” Comerford said, adding that she’s “advocating for independent eyes.”
“It’s been a long road,” Donlon said of the fight for environmental justice. “It’s been frustrating, confusing, very interesting.”
The panel also touched on the topic of FirstLight’s private meetings with stakeholders to discuss the license renewal process. Comerford maintained that she had not been present during the related negotiations.
“I wasn’t on it,” she said, “and I know for a fact Rep. Blais wasn’t on it.”
FirstLight maintains that it has done its due diligence in terms of satisfying the public’s desires. In a recent statement, FirstLight’s head of government affairs and communications, Len Greene, wrote that “actively engaged” discussions with “more than 20 local stakeholder organizations” resulted in “a significant investment of time, of insight and valuable dialogues that have been put into the engagement process. ”
“As part of the state’s DEP process, there will be additional opportunities for public participation,” he wrote, “and we support a robust engagement process on these critical renewable energy assets that provide clean, reliable and cost-competitive energy to the region”.
Participants were encouraged to go to bit.ly/3KBczNI for suggestions on how to write a letter to DEP and AEE.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.
