A New England governors' plan to finance new projects for mega-scale gas pipelines and electric power lines to deliver more power to the region has further fueled a four-year-long battle, bringing stiff opposition from environmentalists, landowners and others who believe the plans would tap billions of dollars in public money without fairly considering lower-cost alternatives.
The pipeline would increase capacity by 20% within three years; the transmission line would deliver hydro- electric energy from Canada.