The Eversource powerline corridor involved in the project runs 29.3 miles, through Northfield, Erving, Wendell, Montague, Leverett, Shutesbury, Pelham, Belchertown, Amherst, Granby, and Ludlow.
In these areas, Eversource has already cleared a powerline corridor 125-335’ wide. Their right-of-way (ROW) is wider, and they want to clear 278 acres more of it, making it 252’-576’ wide. Eversource calls this plan the 100-foot Modified Alternative. “100-foot” refers to the distance that clearing could extend out from each outer edge of the wires. The plan would remove all species of trees and shrubs with mature heights of greater than 15 feet. Based on statements at the April 2026 public meeting in Amherst, the vegetation management would effectively result in the area being a clearcut.
View/download a summary of the project
The documents that comprise the Draft Environmental Impact Report:
On Nov. 28, 2025, EEA provided the project with a Certficate on their Draft Environmental Impact Report. The Certificate can be found here.