Bill > H4101

This bill authorizes the Commissioner of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, in consultation with the Commissioner of Conservation and Recreation, to grant permanent subsurface easements to NSTAR Electric Company for the purpose of installing, maintaining, and operating underground electric transmission lines and related facilities in specific locations within the city of Medford and the town of Winchester, overriding certain existing laws that would typically govern such land conveyances. These easements will be located on land currently controlled by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, including areas adjacent to the Aberjona River and the Upper Mystic Lake Reservation in Winchester, and within the Mystic Valley Reservation in Medford, and will be subject to specific terms and conditions, including the requirement that NSTAR Electric Company compensate the Commonwealth for the fair market value of the easements, potentially through land transfers or funding for land acquisition to ensure no net loss of conservation lands. The bill also outlines procedures for appraising the value of the easements and any land transferred, requires review by the Inspector General, and mandates that all compensation received be deposited into the General Fund or the Conservation Trust, with provisions for the easements to revert to the Commonwealth if they are no longer used for their intended purpose.