Comment on Recreation at FirstLight's Facilities

In early July we submitted comments on FirstLight's proposed Recreation Settlement Agreement to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

The tentative agreement outlines what the company commits to doing to enhance recreation in Franklin County for the decades following the license issuance.

We are pleased with many of the provisions in this agreement and particularly want to congratulate the participants who advocated for these improvements. However, we did not sign this agreement due to some late-game changes on FirstLight's part; you can read more here.

Read Our Full Comment

The Wait Continues

Now that negotiations have come to a conclusion, we are waiting on FERC to issue the 'Ready for Environmental Assessment' (REA). This will initiate a comment period on the entire application for both FirstLight and Great River Hydro.

After the REA is issued, Massachusetts will begin the 401 Water Quality Certification, a requirement for the license under the federal Clean Water Act. This will be a critical time for public involvement. We encourage you to follow MassDEP's website for updates on public comment opportunities.

The 401 process will be completed within one year of its initiation and we expect it to begin sometime this fall or winter. Keep an eye on your email to know when it is your turn to advocate for a license that protects water quality in the Connecticut River.

Great River Hydro... still waiting here too

In NH and VT we are similarly awaiting the FERC issuance of an REA and the subsequent comment period on the full, final application including settlement agreements and Great River Hydro's June 2023 revised application indicating their plan to install a low-flow "fish-safe" turbine to generate energy from water entering the bypass reach. Kathy and Kate are available to come speak with municipal and community groups about what the whole application includes, ongoing concerns that we feel should be addressed, and how to effectively engage in commenting as the relicensing process gets underway again.

NH and VT will also be issuing 401 Water Quality Certificates for each state and welcome public comments on the draft certificates. Follow the links for more information on the timing and process in both New Hampshire and Vermont.

We are poised to take action in this next step and hope you are too!

Learn about Connecticut River Fish & Dams

There are over 1,000 dams throughout the Connecticut River watershed. Our new fish migration website tells the story of 12 dams in the lower Connecticut River that are required to have fish passage and their impact on migrating fish species.

This interactive website allows users to explore some of the barriers to migration in the watershed, as well as up-to-date data on the numbers of migratory fish transported by ladders and lifts over some dams.

Visit the Fish Migration Website

Mascoma River Recreation Survey

While our Hydro E-blast has been and will remain focused mostly on the mainstem dams, CRC's River Stewards also follow and engage in the relicensing process for smaller tributary projects in their respective states. In NH, the Glen Roadd facility on the Mascoma River is in the study phase of relicensing. If you are recreating on or near the river in West Lebanon NH, look out for the small signs (to the left of the flowers above) and follow the link on them to take part in Green Mountain Power's recreation survey to learn about how people use the land near their project, and how recreation impacts can be mitigated. Local input is important to require mitigation as part of the next license!

If you have any questions or comments, please be in touch: