CLF denies financial ties to TDI
Slams N. Pass backer for spreading 'misinformation'
By 
BRIAN MURPHY’S January 22 column (“Money is clouding CLF’s judgment”) is an utter fabrication and represents yet another attempt by Northern Pass advocates to spread misinformation that they hope will advantage an unpopular project.
The bottom line is this: CLF has never had any financial relationship with TDI – the developers of the New England Clean Power Link transmission project – and would receive zero financial gain from the project or its proposed benefits package. The funds associated with that package go to building more renewable energy projects in New England and to benefit the health of Lake Champlain. CLF’s role is limited to sitting on an advisory panel along with other stakeholders to ensure the company lives up to its environmental commitments.
What’s more, CLF has taken no position on the TDI bid into the Massachusetts RFP process. The only RFP project bid that CLF has felt compelled to comment on has been Northern Pass, due to the misleading nature of its bid submission, representations in the permitting process, and the public advocacy around its project – which now include the false claims in the Murphy letter.
The Northern Pass proposal does not have the necessary permitting claimed in their bid. It does not have a viable path to on-time construction. It has not addressed concerns about major impacts through New Hampshire communities and scenic landscapes. And it has been fiercely opposed by more than 90 percent of public commenters in New Hampshire, as well as 22 of 31 affected towns.Greg Cunningham is a vice president at the Conservation Law Foundation and director of CLF’s clean energy and climate change program.