Hampshire County asks NextEra to consider underground transmission alternative in formal response

Hampshire County commissioners on July 15 authorized a response to NextEra Energy asking the company to propose alternative transmission designs, including undergrounding along highways and public rights‑of‑way, and to consider available tax‑incentive tools to address community concerns.

Commissioner Mance, who drafted the response, told the commission the NextEra letter emphasized project tax benefits and quoted a multi‑billion‑dollar revenue estimate; Mance said those figures were not concrete and presented the county with an opportunity to “leverage the potential tax revenue, to get what we want out of the project.” He said the draft response makes clear the county values its landscapes and would only support a design that “works for Hampshire County.”

Commissioners noted there are examples of high‑voltage transmission being built underground in North America and worldwide. “There are viable examples in North America,” Mance said, citing projects in New York, Northern Virginia and locations out West.

President Englanger asked for a motion to authorize the letter; the commission moved and seconded the request and approved it by voice vote. Commissioners said they will send the letter by email with the signed version to follow by mail.

The motion formalizes the commission’s previously stated resolution opposing the current overhead design. The response requests that NextEra come back with alternate designs and demonstrates the county’s preference to avoid an overhead line through its valleys and viewscapes while leaving the door open for a project that mitigates local impacts.