Lawmakers press rail bureau to help resolve solar interconnection delays with New England Central

During the Jan. 7 Senate Transportation hearing, a committee member described a constituent's solar project that has been unable to interconnect because of delays in right‑of‑way approvals from New England Central Railroad (NECR).

"They're being told that they can't connect," the committee member said, describing a stalled electrical crossing and difficulty reaching NECR staff.

Bridal Delabrio said NECR is part of Genesee & Wyoming and that its government‑affairs contacts (including Charles Hunter) and property management are centralized outside Vermont — she said property management for NECR is based in Jacksonville, Fla., and that this centralized structure can slow responses to local crossing requests.

Delabrio told the committee she would reach out to NECR to help escalate the Green/Putney Acres project's request. "Sometimes you just gotta make some noise. I'll try to do that for you," she said.

The committee member said local municipalities and constituents frequently run into similar issues when seeking crossings or other small right‑of‑way accommodations, and urged the bureau to identify clearer points of contact and response timelines when private railroads are involved.

Next steps: Delabrio agreed to contact NECR government affairs and property management, and to report back to the committee on progress.