MA Gas Pipeline Opposition Advocates Decry New Energy Front Group
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
The Coalition to Lower Energy Costs – a recently formed non-profit corporation in Massachusetts that is campaigning to increase the flow of natural gas to New England in an attempt to lower high energy and electricity costs throughout New England – was recently announced by their spokesperson Anthony Buxton, a Maine Attorney who not only is a registered energy industry lobbyist, but also represents Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company.
“Buxton's stated goal is an admirable one which we should all strive to achieve,” said Vince Premus a founding member of Stop the Northeast Energy Direct (StopNED). “What he doesn't explicitly say is that their plan to lower electricity costs is predicated on stealing people’s land, contaminating municipal water supplies, and endangering the health and safety of families throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”
Pipeline opposition groups throughout the state are concerned that this new coalition is nothing more than a front group, designed to give Kinder Morgan an additional voice in gaining momentum in the gas pipeline debate. Despite these claims, the Coalition to Lower Energy Costs says that they are standing up for “individual consumers, labor unions, larger energy consumers and institutions concerned about the threat to New England’s families and economy from skyrocketing natural gas and electric prices.”
A Misleading Goal
Because the coalition seems to be largely made up of industrial energy consumers and not residential consumers, pipeline opposition groups are concerned that the interests of Massachusetts residents and even New England residents for that matter are not going to be properly attended to.
The group claims that bringing in more gas and pipelines to Massachusetts would benefit New England by reducing costs for energy consumption. If this coalition and others are serious about reducing energy costs rather than selling more natural gas, they would be advocating for energy efficiency options rather than more gas pipelines.
Standing Together for Cheaper Energy
While many opposing the pipeline are concerned about this new coalition’s intentions and whether not they formed just to push the Kinder Morgan message along, the coalition assures people that first and foremost, they are looking out for the citizens of New England, hoping to get energy costs as low as possible.
Because the demand for natural gas in the area is so high right now, natural gas and industries such as the electric industry are forced to raise their prices – National Grid says customers can see a price increase of 37-percent over last year this winter for electricity – which is putting Massachusetts residents in a bind.
“It is an economic tragedy for New England that we are unable to access the low cost, domestic natural gas being enjoyed by the rest of country, even though Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale is less than 250 miles from Boston”, said Buxton. “Our businesses and families are struggling with skyrocketing energy costs and we know that we need 2 bcf (billion cubic feet) of gas in order to end this crisis.”
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