I wanted to share timely information about the Hybrid Public Information Session on the relicensing of Firstlight Power’s Turners Falls Dam and Northfield Mountain Pump Storage Project, held by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) on Thursday, October 10 at 6 p.m. at the Shea Theater, 71 Avenue A, Turners Falls.
Registration via the link below is required for those wishing to attend virtually and encouraged for those attending in-person: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=Fh2GPrdIDkqYBowE2Bt7KsSTZd67_UdBokQlVvQjjYZUM1daNVkyV1ZFQjlFQTFJMTdDTlkwM1NJVS4u&route=shorturl
Where are we in the state Water Quality Certificate process?
FirstLight filed its Water Quality Certificate (WQC) application with MassDEP on April 22, 2024. MassDEP has one year from that date to issue, deny, or waive the WQC. Any provisions included in this WQC will then be included in the final federal license.
On May 29, MassDEP held two virtual Public Hearings for oral comments. It also accepted written comments for 35 days (longer than the usual 21-day comment period). Many of you submitted comments on the WQC Application. Members of the state delegation also submitted comments, which you can read here.
Why is the state holding a public information session and what will happen at the October 10 session?
The October 10 public information session is an opportunity for the public to ask questions directly of MassDEP, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), all of which will present information pertaining to the state’s WQC process and share what has been learned from public comments to date.
The evening will be facilitated by the Consensus Building Institute (CBI). It will be broken down into individual presentations by MassDEP, MassWildlife, and DCR on different topics. Each presentation will be about 20 minutes long followed by about 10-15 minutes for Q&A before moving on to the next topic. CBI facilitators will be walking around with microphones to take questions from people who raise their hands.
People who participate virtually need only register at the link on the MassDEP webpage and then during the information session submit questions through the Q&A function. CBI will be reading the virtual questions for the panelists to respond to.
Will MassDEP’s proposed Water Quality Certificate have a public hearing in the future?
YES. The third opportunity for public participation will be an official public hearing and public comment period on a DRAFT WQC that MassDEP will post on its website when it is complete, likely in December/January. We’ll follow up with more information when we have it. Additionally, news of the draft WQC and the comment period will be posted in local news outlets and if you’re on MassDEP’s mailing list you’ll hear from the agency directly as well.
It’s on us to engage
The delegation has been meeting monthly with MassDEP for years on the relicensing process and many of you have submitted comments to MassDEP. In response to the deep engagement and robust interest in this WQC process, MassDEP is working to meet the significant public interest and engagement by offering this public information session. Now, it’s our job to engage, share our thoughts, and ask questions.
Looking forward to seeing you on October 10.
