Notice of Scoping for Proposed Modification of Easements to Allow a 199-psig Natural Gas Distribution Pipeline Within Portions of Hurd State Park and Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park Trail
Project Title: Southeast Resiliency Project Segment at Hurd State Park and Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park Trail
Address of possible locations: River Road, Middletown, CT (Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park Trail), 74 Hurd Park Rd, East Hampton, CT (Hurd State Park), and Clarkhurst Road, Higganum, CT (George D. Seymour State Park Scenic Reserve/Higganum Meadows Wildlife Management Area)
Municipalities where proposed action might be located: Middletown, Haddam/Higganum, and East Hampton
Project Description: Yankee Gas Services d/b/a Eversource Energy (“Eversource”) has submitted an application seeking approval from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) on proposed modifications to two existing electric transmission easements granted to the Hartford Electric Light Company, now The Connecticut Light & Power Company d/b/a Eversource Energy (“Eversource”). The modified easements would allow construction, operation, and maintenance of a 199-psig natural gas distribution pipeline across and under property in the care, custody, and control of DEEP. The proposed pipeline segment would be 16” in diameter and stretch for the entire length of the existing easements. The proposed pipeline segment would cover a distance of approximately 6,700 feet (including the river crossing, which is located outside of the easement areas). The first easement, in Middletown, is located on the Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park Trail. The second easement, several hundred feet wide and located in Haddam and East Hampton, covers portions of Hurd State Park and George Seymour State Park Scenic Reserve/Higganum Meadows Wildlife Management Area. This proposed pipeline segment is a portion of Eversource’s ongoing Southeast Resiliency Project, which would allow Eversource to interconnect existing gas infrastructure between Middletown and southeast Connecticut communities. Eversource claims this interconnection will improve the system’s ability to withstand threats, quickly recover from incidents by providing system redundancy, and ensure energy supply to customers in southeast Connecticut. There are no proposed changes to the boundaries of the existing easements. No gas construction or equipment is proposed within the George Seymour State Park Scenic Reserve/Higganum Meadows Wildlife Management Area portion of the existing easement because that portion falls to the south of the proposed pipeline segment. Further details can be found in the Application for Review of Land Management Request on State-Owned Land or Water dated August 6, 2025, by clicking here.
Project Maps: Click here to view a map of the general project location. Click here to view draft maps of the easement areas.
Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on: Thursday, September 18, 2025.
A public scoping meeting will be held for this proposed action:
Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm
Place: Virtual utilizing Zoom.
The link to register for the public meeting is: https://ctdeep.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-nEFYMueSUmc85r4tvtSdA
You can view information about the project in person at 79 Elm Street in Hartford by emailing an appointment request to lindsay.suhr@ct.gov.
Other Information: Click here for a copy of the Application
Written comments, or questions about the public scoping meeting, should be sent to:
Name: Lindsay Suhr, Director, Land Acquisition and Management
Agency: CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Address: 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT, 06106
E-Mail: lindsay.suhr@ct.gov
Inquiries and requests to view and or copy documents, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, must be submitted to the sponsoring state agency:
Name: Caleb Hamel, Staff Attorney
Agency: CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Address: 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106
E-Mail: caleb.hamel@ct.gov
What Happens Next: DEEP will make a determination whether to proceed with preparation of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) or that the proposed action does not require the preparation of an EIE under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA). A Post-Scoping Notice of its decision will appear in a future edition of the Environmental Monitor.