MA Gas Pipeline: Who Is For it and Who Is Against It

Thursday, September 18, 2014

GoLocalWorcester News Team

the current map for Worcester County for the proposed gas pipeline project

Kinder Morgan's gas pipeline proposal has been one of the most hotly debated topics in Massachusetts over the past few months, drawing people to be either firmly opposed to the project or excited at the prospect of bringing more natural gas to the state and other parts of New England.

Check out the slideshow below to see who is for and who is against the gas pipeline project in Massachusetts.

Related Slideshow: Mass. Leaders Speak out About Gas Pipeline Project

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Elizabeth Warren

Massachusetts State Senator

“Before we sink more money in gas infrastructure, we have an obligation wherever possible to focus our investments on the clean technologies of the future — not the dirty fuels of the past — and to minimize the environmental impact of all our energy infrastructure projects. We can do better — and we should.”

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Paul LePage

Governor of Maine

"It has come to my attention that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has decided not to continue additional gas capacity for New England. This is a colossal mistake. New England desperately needs additional natural gas capacity."

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Jim McGovern

US State Representative, Massachusetts 2nd Congressional District

"Let me be clear: I believe that this pipeline is irresponsible. The proposed route was made with little consideration for the environment, cutting through land that has been permanently conserved by multigenerational farmers, individual landowners, land trusts, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The majority of this land has been protected with tax dollars and donations.”

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Donald Lowe

Town Administrator, Bolton, MA

“We are still unclear as to what benefits this project has. We feel that Kinder Morgan is trying to move too quickly; is this pipeline even needed? We are really concerned about how this is going to impact local land and the environment. The town of Bolton doesn’t even have gas service; this is a project that is going to destroy our land with no benefit to our residents.”

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Katy Eiseman

Director & Legal Liaison, MassPLAN

"Kinder Morgan has been taken by surprise by the opposition it has met here. Winchendon’s local paper reports that a company representative lamented to the town manager, “We let them get ahead of us.” In other parts of the country, opposition often hasn’t even formed until after the company gets to FERC. Here, we have already had part of our Congressional delegation and a growing number of state legislators come out against the proposal, the Governor has expressed “skepticism” about the project, and in July, we had a statewide pipeline resistance march and rally in Boston."

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Richard Wheatley

Director of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Kinder Morgan

"The NED Project is being developed to meet the increased demand in the Northeast United States for transportation capacity of natural gas. Natural gas is a clean, environmentally friendly energy source that is produced domestically.”

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Edward Markey

Massachusetts State Senator

“I oppose this pipeline as it is now proposed because it raises serious questions about whether it is too massive for Massachusetts’ energy needs, does not respect the rights and wishes of local residents, would worsen climate change, and could lead to the export of natural gas to foreign countries, raising prices for Massachusetts businesses and consumers.”

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Janet Morrison

Executive Director, North County Land Trust, Inc

"We are very concerned about this project. From an environmental standpoint, this pipeline would fragment a protected landscape. What you are doing here is creating a fossil fuel infrastructure. As a nation we really need to focus more on renewable energy.”

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Robert Dorko

President, Industrial Energy Consumer Group

“Recent studies by New England’s grid operator, ISO New England, have shown that New England electricity consumers paid three billion dollars more for electricity last winter than they would have if there were enough natural gas pipeline capacity to meet New England’s needs. [The Northeast Energy Direct Project is] a critical first step in eliminating the energy cost crisis that every winter hammers all New England energy consumers.”

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Maeve Vallely Bartlett

Secretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs

"Tennessee Gas has noted that the NED Project is projected to provide capacity scalable from approximately 800,000 Dth/d to 1.2 Bcf/d to 2.2 Bcf/d of additional natural gas to the region. However, it is unclear whether Massachusetts needs additional infrastructure to meet demand, and if so, how much. We urge the Company to share any data available regarding regional demand for natural gas."