Statewide Summit to Show Detailed MA Gas Pipeline Maps on Nov 15th

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

GoLocalWorcester News Team

preliminary maps for the pipeline in Worcester County

Citizens and public officials alike will finally get a detailed view of the Kinder Morgan/Tennessee Gas Pipeline proposal for a new natural gas pipeline across Massachusetts at the Stop the Pipeline Statewide Summit at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School in Fitchburg on November 15th.

“For the last six months, Kinder Morgan steadfastly refused requests for digital maps and parcel information on its $4 billion pipeline proposal,” read a press release from Stop the Pipeline MA. “After months of being rebuffed, citizens used publically available GIS mapping technology to produce detailed maps for each of the 44 communities on the proposed pipeline route.”

This grassroots effort first digitized the route, which Kinder Morgan outlined on 1980’s era maps in the pre-filing request it made to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on September 15. Volunteers then used the Massachusetts GIS system to show homes, water resources, and protected open space along the route.

Large-scale maps will be on view for the public at the November 15th Summit, beginning at 8:30 am.

Kinder Morgan’s pre-filing request was the start of its official process with FERC to gain approval for its Northeast Energy Direct (NED) project stretching more than 400 miles across PA, NY, MA and portions of CT and NH. Over 173 miles of this pipeline is proposed in Massachusetts, crossing both large natural landscapes and densely populated communities from Richmond to Dracut.

The Summit intends to bring together residents, affected landowners, local leaders, elected officials, and environmental and conservation groups in an educational forum to learn how to have their concerns about this project addressed, and how to advocate for a clean energy future for Massachusetts.

“This pipeline could actually cause energy costs to rise because export of natural gas, which appears to be the major motivation behind many proposed pipeline projects throughout the Northeast, would subject U.S. wholesale gas purchasers to competition in global markets, where prices are 2-5 times higher,” said Kathryn Eiseman, director of the Massachusetts PipeLine Awareness Network (MassPLAN), a statewide coalition of organizations opposed to Kinder Morgan's proposed pipeline expansion.

Elected officials attending the conference include Senators Eileen Donoghue and Jamie Eldridge and Representatives Jennifer Benson, Linda Dean Campbell, Stephen DiNatale, Sheila Harrington, Stephen Kulik, and Chris Walsh.

The event is free, but space is limited. Participants can register at https://statewidesummit.eventbrite.com. For additional information visit http://StopNED.org

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."