SECTION 6. visual quality and scenic character
[6-1](#visual-quality-and-scenic-character)

6.A Project Setting [6-1](#project-setting)

6.A.1 Summary Description of Regional Setting
[6-1](#summary-description-of-regional-setting)

6.B Discussion of Siting Considerations in Relation to Regionally
Sensitive Visual Areas
[6-2](#discussion-of-siting-considerations-in-relation-to-regionally-sensitive-visual-areas)

6.C Assessment of Potential Visual Impacts
[6-2](#assessment-of-potential-visual-impacts)

**APPENDICES**

APPENDIX 6-1: BANGOR HYDRO-ELECTRIC NRI VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

#  visual quality and scenic character

## Project Setting

### Summary Description of Regional Setting

There are two general types of land use in the Northeast Reliability
Interconnect (NRI) project region. The first 7.5± miles of the proposed
NRI right-of-way (ROW), which starts at the Orrington Substation and
ends in the vicinity of the Route 9 crossing of the ROW in Eddington,
consists primarily of wooded or cleared undeveloped land with rural
residential development clustered around road crossings. The remaining
76.7± miles of the project, beginning after the Route 9 crossing and
continuing to the St. Croix River, consists of large tracts of
unpopulated private woodlands and commercial forest. The primary
industry and source of income throughout the entire region is forestry
products and pulp and paper production. The region is characterized by
rolling topography, extensive woodlands, with numerous wetlands and
waterbodies.

Although the majority of the ownership in the working forests of Hancock
and Washington Counties is private, these lands are generally open to
the public for traditional recreational uses, for example: hunting,
fishing canoeing/kayaking, camping, etc. Visual impacts have been
considered and evaluated from the perspective of these public users as
well as the people who work in the woods. The scenic inventory has
concentrated on the views from the major roads, trails, high points of
land, rivers, and lakes. Efforts were made to identify these key
viewpoints and minimize visual impact to the scenic resources along the
route. In many cases the environmental benefits of co-locating the
pipeline and road become a trade-off with the lower visual quality
associated with the openness of the Stud Mill Road corridor.

## Discussion of Siting Considerations in Relation to Regionally Sensitive Visual Areas

In conjunction with a diverse group of governmental and private
agencies, organizations and other interested stakeholders, Bangor
Hydro-Electric Company (BHE) completed an extensive process of
evaluating five potential alternative routes for the proposed NRI ROW.
For a variety of reasons, including minimizing potential visual impacts,
the proposed route was chosen because it follows existing utility
corridors and roads to the maximum extent practicable. As a result,
approximately 84 percent of the route is adjacent to existing electric
transmission lines and/or the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, LLC
(Maritimes) natural gas pipeline ROW. Approximately 70 percent of the
proposed ROW follows both the Maritimes pipeline and the Stud Mill Road,
an extensively-used haul road through interior Hancock and Washington
Counties. The remaining 16 percent of the route is located outside of
existing corridors primarily to avoid visual impacts to the Sunkhaze
Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, the Maine Youth Fish & Game
Association Clubhouse at Pickerel Pond, and residents and potential
development at the Breyer Heights Subdivision in Milford.

## Assessment of Potential Visual Impacts

BHE has located the NRI in a manner to minimize potential adverse visual
impacts. For example, during the prior permitting effort, participants
in the public hearings made clear that the visual impact of a new line
that was off-set from existing corridors was greater than if the line
were co-located with Stud Mill Road and the Maritimes gas pipeline. As a
result, BHE has co-located the line with Stud Mill Road and the
Maritimes gas pipeline through the downeast region, where visual impacts
were of particular concern to recreational users of that area. The NRI
is also co-located with the existing Maine Electric Power Company
(MEPCO) line for approximately 12 miles, thereby minimizing the adverse
visual impacts that might otherwise be associated with a new line
through that area. BHE has also selected a structure type designed to
minimize potential adverse impacts. As discussed in Section 1, BHE
selected the wooden H-frame because it minimizes environmental and
visual impacts and generally blends in with the rural landscape better
than the more industrial structures such as a guyed delta or
self-supporting steel lattice structures. Finally, BHE has strategically
located the poles and adjusted the alignment to minimize visual impacts
at visually sensitive river crossings such as the Machias and
Narraguagus river crossings.

BHE has also completed a comprehensive visual impact assessment of the
proposed transmission line and Orrington Substation modifications in
accordance with Chapter 315 of the Maine Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) regulations (06-096 CMR Chapter 315). The BHE NRI
Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) contains detailed descriptions of the
areas surrounding the Orrington Substation and the proposed ROW and an
analysis of the visual impact of the project on scenic resources as
defined by Chapter 315. Representative photographs showing the existing
view from representative viewpoints and computer simulations of the
constructed project on those views are included. The VIA is provided in
Appendix 6-1. Based on the conclusions of the visual impact assessment,
there will be no unreasonable adverse impact to existing scenic or
aesthetic uses from the construction and operation of the NRI project.

**APPENDIX 6-1**

**BANGOR HYDRO-ELECTRIC NRI VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT\
**