Friday, February 6, 2015

Reasons to oppose pipeline, by Susan Wessels

Like many effective propaganda campaigns, the Kinder Morgan effort to “sell” its behemoth pipeline project planned for southern New Hampshire relies on lies that are repeated often enough to persuade people they must be true.
Lie 1: The pipeline will be “co-located” with the existing PSNH power easement. The implication is that the pipeline will not require the taking of much private land, since PSNH owns the high transmission lines rights-of-way. The pipeline would be built not in the current right-of-way, but ALONGSIDE it. It will require at least 100 feet of additional land to be taken, all along its path, from private owners, conservation easements, towns and other public lands. It will leave a permanent scar across the state on which no vegetation will be allowed to grow.

Lie 2: The pipeline will bring natural gas to people’s homes. Unless you already have the underground infrastructure in place in your neighborhood, no gas will be available for your home.

Lie 3: Kinder Morgan, will help us reduce property taxes by paying the town millions of dollars. They are paying about $1 million total to all towns in a current 50-mile pipeline zone. They have promised local towns about $11 million more for about 70 miles of new pipe. After the first year, when depreciation formulas kick in, towns will be lucky to get one-tenth of what they’ve been promised.

Lie 4: We need this pipeline to bring more natural gas to New Hampshire so we have sufficient energy during our coldest winter days. There are other ways — less costly, intrusive and dangerous ways — to beef up our supply of energy:

1. The supply of liquid natural gas is becoming more abundant and available to New England through import and transport from within the U.S.
2. Another gas pipeline being built right now will bring natural gas to New England by 2017.
3. Oil prices have crashed, forcing other fossil fuel prices to drop as well.
4. New Hampshire ratepayers made a huge financial investment in a scrubber for our coal-burning plant. This investment is sitting there, about to go down the drain, when it could be used to buy time as we continue our stated drive for non-fossil fuels. We could take any number of steps that would avoid the harrowing risks and dislocations this pipeline brings while leaving the state in a more flexible position to take advantage of the volatility in the energy markets.
The Kinder Morgan pipeline is huge. It will pipe so much more gas than we need in New Hampshire, and bring with it so many potential hazards. Most of this gas would be destined for high-profit export. High prices abroad may drive up the cost of natural gas at home, as we find ourselves competing with foreign countries for the gas we are taking all the risks to transport.

Lie 5: Pipelines are safe. Last week alone there were five explosions of pipelines in the U.S. People were killed. Check Kinder Morgan’s safety record online.
Then tell me how safe these pipelines are.

Susan Wessels
182 Sunridge Road
Rindge

6 comments:

Rich said...

Who is this Susan Wessel? Is she a gas line expert, an engineer, a scientist, an environmentalist
what is her expertise, skills, what gives her expert skills to make such an opinion that they’re all lies and propaganda. Who is being the suckers here? So we take Susan Wesse'sl opinion this pipe line is just a monster lurking in the dark waiting to kill hundreds, is it because the pipe line is dog legged into in NH because we are so sparsely populated and a pipe line explosion wouldn’t kill as many or is she just another left wing zealot mouth piece for the oil companies. You must ask yourselves last time a gas pipeline was purposed we had hundreds of picketers. Who do you think paid for the buses and bought them food….Yes you guessed it the oil companies. She doesn’t pass the sniff test and we should look under the tent before we are taken again. Just my opinion and I do not trust any of them.

Anonymous said...

I suspect back in the day there was a push to stop the ugly power poles that crisscross this country. If we can heat our homes for less down the road it could be a good thing.

Andy from Winchester said...

Perhaps the lady is someone who has done her homework and is attempting to set the record straight so that we ( people affected ) will have a clear picture of what the impacts one our life would be if this were to happen. Have you done yours? You sound like someone vested in this endeavor and not to be taken seriously and for the Anonymous poster above; what part of her presentation regarding lower prices didn't you understand? Are you also a part of this enterprise posting on here to discredit those who oppose? If we're to take you to seriously, put up your names as she did, don't hide behind your keyboards.

Rich said...

I can tell you what the impact would be after the Obama admin. over rides your wishes when they put the 3 foot pipe behind your house, do not smoke or have any open flames outside or you will look like a toasted marshmallow.
God I hate the smell of hair burning......

Anonymous said...

Rich...to set the record straight Obama opposes pipelines and has said he will veto the Keystone Pipeline. This about natural gas and for your information the head of Kinder Morgan bailed from Enron just before he would have gone to jail. That is who is proposing to put pipelines through Winchester. We need to take the emotions out of this and know that we need to use facts to fight this for our town. The best way to fight this is to get informed and fight this with concrete action not attacks and misinformation.

WNC said...

you tube A family causes explosion when digging fire pit in his own back yard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Sjl_x3fs0

Your wrong about this pipe gas line. The Keystone is just a political hot potato and has nothing to do this gas pipe line and the gas line will be buried or on top of ground owned by the national grid’s right of way which they already own.

Soon you will know what farmers felt years ago when the government stole large strip of their farm land by eminent domain and placed giant towers cutting there farmer land in half....Do you think they gave the farmers a choice? Only when they go behind your house it may not be seen... which by definition: taken either for government use or by delegation to third parties, who will devote it to public or civic use or, in some cases, to economic development. The most common uses of property taken by eminent domain are for government buildings and other facilities, public utilities, highways, and railroads.

Devote to public use. That is us the public masses and that us the users.