Letter from Susan Iuliano, Chair of Sudbury BOS, September 6th, 2016

As most Protect Sudbury followers know, the Eversource Sudbury-to-Hudson Reliability Project must be approved by a state board, the Energy Facilities Siting Board. In February, Eversource announced that it planned to file a Petition with the EFSB that would propose a Preferred option of overhead lines on the MBTA right-of-way (ROW) with an Alternative option of underground lines on the ROW. In response to the public outcry, Eversource then agreed to reconsider its options, especially in light of the desire for an option off of the ROW and under town streets.

Last May, Eversource informed the town that it would likely file its Petition around early September, after meeting with the town to provide an update on the routes selected for the Petition. As the summer progressed, Eversource delayed the meetings and ultimately indicated that a late October filing was more likely.

In late August, the Eversource project team met with Town officials. This was followed by a more extensive meeting that also included Town counsel George Pucci and Protect Sudbury representatives and counsel Richard Kanoff. This August 25 meeting was held at Eversource and included Eversource Vice President Jim Hunt, Eversource counsel, various consultants and other Eversource personnel. Protect Sudbury’s concerted efforts resulted in this opportunity for discussion with higher-level Eversource representatives.

At these meetings, Eversource presented its likely proposals for submission to the EFSB. First, the Preferred Route would be along the MBTA ROW, with three variations:

• Overhead lines in the ROW with underground lines in some streets in Hudson (cost estimated at $37M).
• Underground lines along the ROW and underground lines in some streets in Hudson (cost estimated at $85M)
• Underground lines in the ROW in Sudbury with some overhead (ROW) and some underground (street) lines in Hudson (cost estimated at $75M).

Eversource has stated that it may designate a Preferred Option along the Preferred Route, but was not likely to do so. Second, Eversource would submit an Alternative Route, which would run underground along streets in Sudbury and Hudson. In Sudbury, the route would run along Route 20, Concord Rd., Old Lancaster Rd., and Hudson Rd. for a total of 10.46 miles. The estimated cost is $113M. Additional information is available on the Town website.

Eversource provided details of its selection process, which began with 24 options along 15 corridors or routes. Five of these routes were eliminated for “fatal flaws” as defined by Eversource. These included some routes along other utility corridors as well as those that would run along Goodman’s Hill Rd. in Sudbury. Eversource then examined 19 options along the 10 remaining corridors. Some of these were hybrid routes involving both the MBTA ROW and streets; others were underground street options.

The meeting was productive and allowed discussion of the factors considered by Eversource and answers to questions posed by Town and Protect Sudbury representatives. Protect Sudbury requested a follow-up meeting for further discussion including presentation of alternative routes researched by Protect Sudbury. Eversource will consider this request and has since suggested that further conversation with the Town and Protect Sudbury may push the filing into early November.

Eversource has stated that it plans to present its proposals to the Board of Selectmen in a community meeting prior to filing its Petition. This meeting has been targeted for late October, but has not been confirmed.

In addition to its conversations with Eversource, the Town has continued its outreach to public officials (state and federal) and other stakeholders. Moreover, the Selectmen are working closely with counsel to prepare to intervene in the Siting Board process. Town counsel is coordinating with Protect Sudbury counsel both on legal strategy and on sharing of resources as they both work with consultants and expert witnesses. Our continued efforts to leverage our respective resources will enhance our position in the Siting Board process. Ongoing support of Protect Sudbury will benefit all Sudbury residents in our long-term efforts to obtain the best result for Sudbury!