Reasons to reject pipeline are many

This weekend I shopped in Athol and Orange, Mass., buying items that could have just as easily been purchased in Keene or surrounding towns. Why would I pay more to shop in Massachusetts? Last summer Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey commissioned a study on whether there was a legitimate need for Kinder Morgan’s NED pipeline. That report was released recently. It concluded that the project was unnecessary and that there were other, less environmentally devastating ways to provide energy needs at peak demand times.

Wow, imagine that. A government official actually looking out for the best interests of the people. Paying 6.25 percent extra on my purchases seemed like a small way to say “thank you” to the Commonwealth. If the pipeline isn’t allowed to be built there, it won’t be built here in New Hampshire.

With our governor willing to give away a 70-mile strip of land belonging to my family, friends, and fellow Granite Staters, our hope that this project will be stopped has to come from our neighbors to the south.

Gov. Maggie Hassan’s idea of protecting the people’s interests is to fire the one person on the Public Utilities Commission who had questions concerning the project. Maybe she thinks it is those “corporations are people too” people that she represents. Word must have gotten around Concord that if you want to keep your appointed job, you better fall in step behind the governor on this issue.

A Canadian lynx has been seen in the vicinity of the proposed route in four different towns since the first of the year. Someone who had seen the lynx on several occasions said that a New Hampshire Fish & Game officer informally confirmed that there was a lynx living in the area. Prior to the close of FERC’s public comment period in a letter to the Fish & Game Commissioner, I asked that they submit this information to FERC, being that Canadian lynx are considered a threatened species protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act.

Less than a week later, Fish and Game announced a proposal to reinstate a bobcat hunting season. Perhaps a coincidence, but it looked for all the world like a state-sponsored “shoot, shovel and shut up” solution to the presence of an animal that could hinder the pipeline from being built. Speaking to Evan Mulholland at Fish and Game in Concord did little to reassure me with these answers to my concerns. None of their officers had reported seeing a lynx. No, hunters wouldn’t mistake a bobcat for a lynx. If they did accidently shoot it, of course they’d report it. And if the lynx were dead, at least we’d know that there had been one there.

The presence of a protected species is only one of the many reasons why not one blade of grass should be disturbed, nor even one tree cut down, nor one square inch of land stolen from private citizens to build this environmental nightmare. The majority of the product to be transmitted through this pipeline is for export. Construction costs will be paid by us through a surcharge on our electric bills.

Gov. Hassan, it is time you considered the interests of the people who have Homo sapiens DNA, not a corporation “people” with fat wallets loaded with campaign contributions.

Jennie L. Hill

Richmond

Another reason to distrust Kinder Morgan

Regarding Kinder Morgan’s route change through Richmond — rerouting miles of pipeline closer to residential homes where as before it went through vacant logging land:
Kinder Morgan states that the changes in the proposed route through Richmond were made to “accommodate town and regulatory agency requests.”

We town officials in Richmond objected to Kinder Morgan’s proposed change and asked that this part of the proposed route NOT be changed. The new route goes through a residential and historic area that should not be disturbed. It now parallels very close to the major road out of Richmond if we have to evacuate because of a pipeline accident. It impacts a stream, Brickyard Brook, that was previously minimally touched. In contrast, the original proposed route went through vacant logging land, a much less invasive proposal.

The representative from Kinder Morgan told town officials that the change in route was at the request of the landowner of the logging parcel that was on the original route, a private deal negotiated between Kinder Morgan and the private land owner without input from town officials.

Is it any wonder that town officials are so mistrustful of Kinder Morgan when they tell different stories to different officials, as in this case?

Carol Jameson

Chairman, Richmond Board of Selectmen

Sanders aligns against proposed natural gas pipeline

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff
 

MANCHESTER — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is the first presidential candidate to publicly take a position on the proposed Northeast Energy Direct pipeline. And the Democratic hopeful’s opposition to the project has many Northeast Energy Direct pipeline opponents praising him.

In prepared remarks given during the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Sunday night, Sanders said he’s against the proposed natural gas transmission pipeline because “climate change is the greatest environmental challenge of our time.

“And that is why — right here in New Hampshire — I believe the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline that would carry fracked natural gas for 400 miles through 17 communities is a bad idea — and should be opposed,” he said.

The pipeline route is planned to run through southern New Hampshire communities including Fitzwilliam, Richmond, Rindge, Troy and Winchester, and continues to meet strong resistance from residents and local officials in towns along the proposed path. Among their concerns for the pipeline are its potential environmental and health effects, and the federal government possibly taking property by eminent domain for the project.

“God bless the Brooklyn-born Senator from Vermont for taking a position that our very own local elected officials have been too cowardly to do till now,” Richmond resident Seth Reece said this morning in a Facebook message.

Susan L. Durling, co-founder of the pipeline opposition group Winchester Pipeline Awareness, likewise praised Sanders, saying, “Here’s a politician out there brave enough to say what needs to be said.”

She said in a Facebook message that elected officials need to “start worrying about the planet they will leave their kids and grandchildren, and not about the campaign contributions they get.”

Besides Sanders, Democratic presidential candidates Martin O’Malley and Hillary Clinton gave their pitch for the Oval Office at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester. But neither O’Malley nor Clinton referenced the pipeline in their prepared remarks.

Matt Sheaff, O’Malley’s N.H. deputy state director, said after the former Maryland governor gave his remarks, he met with reporters, one of whom asked about his position on the pipeline.

O’Malley responded that he’d “be inclined to be against it,” Sheaff said.

“We use our eminent domain power for things that serve the public’s interest. And pipelines for fossil fuel extraction generally do not support our public interest,” O’Malley said in response to the question, according to Sheaff. “Lines that actually allow us to bring in clean energy do support our public interest.”

Harrell Kirstein, spokesman for Hillary for New Hampshire, said in a email this morning that Clinton addressed the topic during a town hall meeting in Keene last month.

Clinton said the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission process doesn’t give “enough weight to public opinion in the locations where pipelines are going through,” according to Kirstein.

It also doesn’t pay enough attention to other issues including health and safety, Clinton said, and therefore, she is going to do what she can to make sure the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has to pay much more attention to local communities, according to Kirstein.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, has proposed building the high-pressure pipeline to carry fracked natural gas from shale gas fields in Pennsylvania through upstate New York, parts of northern Massachusetts and into southern New Hampshire before going to a distribution hub in eastern Massachusetts. The route would cross about 70 miles of southern New Hampshire.

The project had been in the pre-filing stages with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the past year.

On Nov. 20, Tennessee Gas Pipeline officials filed the project’s application with the FERC, putting the federal agency in a position to decide whether the pipeline is approved, which it has the power to do.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline officials are asking the commission to approve the pipeline by the fourth quarter of 2016.

In the filing, company officials described the pipeline as “transformative,” saying the influx of natural gas into the Northeast, specifically New England, would drive down high winter energy costs, and help prevent an energy shortage in the region.

Sanders also cited climate change in why he’s opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from the tar sands of Canada to the United States.

President Barack Obama vetoed the project earlier this year.

The four members of the N.H. Congressional Delegation and Gov. Maggie Hassan have sent letters to FERC calling for transparency in the pipeline approval process, but have yet to take positions on the proposed Northeast Energy Direct pipeline.

Karthik Ganapathy, Sanders’ N.H. communications director, said in an email this morning that Sanders has known about the Northeast Energy Direct project for a “long time, and after studying it, decided that its impact on climate change would betray the responsibility we have to future generations.”

In addition to climate change, Ganapathy said, there are “justified concerns” about eminent domain being abused to seize private property, the route going through historic towns and conservation sites, and, as with all pipelines, the potential for leaks or spills.

“Now that the review process with FERC is officially under way, Senator Sanders wanted to ensure all of that was taken into consideration,” Ganapathy said.

Meghan Foley can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436, or mfoley@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

Select Board Meeting tonight, Wed 11/18

Stay up to date on the latest issues and support our Selectboard in their decisions on the pipeline.

Christopher Steadman, Winchester's representative to New Hampshire Municipal Pipeline Coalition, will bring information from the today's meeting (11/17) to the board at tomorrow night's meeting.

Winchester has an opportunity to file for intervenor status regarding Liberty Utilities' proposal to install residential gas lines. The deadline is December 1st.

More information about Winchester's contribution to NHMPC legal fees will be presented.

Sue Durling will attend the NH PUC meeting in Concord at 1pm Wednesday, and update Christopher prior to the BOS meeting. The PUC rulemaking committee is considering relaxing rules so that projects like NED can disregard local ordinances.

 

NEWSLETTER COMING SOON
Save the dates:
-December 1st 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Kinder Morgan public information session
-December 11th 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
March on State House to present 10,000 signatures to Governor Hassan

Board of Selectmen Minutes 10-28-15

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Board of Selectmen Minutes 10-21-15

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Winchester residents skeptical of plan to expand natural gas

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff
 

WINCHESTER — Some Winchester residents and opponents of a proposed natural gas pipeline sought to depict a not-so-rosy picture of insider knowledge, back-door dealing and corporations teaming together to profit on the backs of rural communities during a hearing Wednesday. Liberty Utilities officials were in Winchester Wednesday to present a plan to selectmen to bring natural gas service to the town via the proposed and controversial Northeast Energy Direct pipeline.

In December, Liberty Utilities filed a petition with the N.H. Public Utilities Commission seeking approval of an agreement to buy natural gas off the proposed pipeline.

A month later, in January, the company signed a deal to purchase N.H. Gas Corp. in Keene, with plans to convert its more than 100-year-old propane-air mixture distribution system to carry compressed or liquefied natural gas.

Nine months later, Liberty Utilities filed a petition with the state Public Utilities Commission for rights to own and operate natural gas distribution systems in Winchester, Swanzey, Jaffrey and Rindge.

Two of the four towns — Rindge and Winchester — are along the proposed route of the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline, while the other two are nearby. None of the towns have natural gas distribution systems.

According to the petition, Liberty plans to tap into the pipeline to supply natural gas to the towns, but would look at other options if the pipeline project is delayed or doesn’t happen.

Liberty Utilities is a subsidiary of Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. And Algonquin, which has its headquarters in Ontario, Canada, is participating in the development of the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline with Kinder Morgan through that company’s subsidiary, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.

Liberty officials repeatedly said Wednesday the series of events leading up to the company’s filing this fall to expand natural gas service was a coincidence.

However, Michael Licata, director of government and community relations for Liberty Utilities, acknowledged — when put on the spot by Winchester Conservation Commission member John H. Hann — that a diagram being circulated by anti-pipeline activists showing Liberty Utilities having a relationship to the project was “essentially accurate that we have an unregulated affiliate with investment in the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline.”

The document, created by Susan L. Durling of the activist group Winchester Pipeline Awareness, shows Kinder Morgan and Algonquin partnering to form Northeast Expansion LLC to build and own the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline, with Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. being brought in as Kinder Morgan’s subsidiary to operate it.

The diagram then shows Algonquin’s connection to Liberty Utilities, which is also known in New Hampshire as EnergyNorth Natural Gas Inc.

Liberty Utilities signed an agreement with Tennessee Gas Pipeline to purchase 115,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day at a fixed rate from the pipeline.

The N.H. Public Utilities Commission approved that agreement last month. The decision has since been appealed.

Hann noted to Licata and two other Liberty Utilities officials in attendance Wednesday that for Kinder Morgan to have its application for the pipeline approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the company must show there is a need.

“So by you contracting with Kinder Morgan, you’re enabling them to prove the need even though (Richard G. MacDonald) pointed out that there are no customers here,” he said, referencing Liberty Utilities’ director of gas operations.

Licata responded that Liberty officials would send out mailings to potential customers to gauge interest, and they understand there has to be customer interest for the N.H. Public Utilities Commission to award gas franchise rights to an area.

“We’re not coming forward with this proposal as part of a way to validate Kinder Morgan or the Northeast Energy District pipeline. It’s not about us or creating a need for a pipeline,” Licata said.

He said Liberty Utilities officials understand there is local concern and opposition to the pipeline project, and they weren’t asking selectmen, or anyone else at the meeting, to change their view on the project because of Liberty’s proposal.

“What we’re proposing here is the town get some direct benefit from the pipeline,” he said.

That would be done by installing a station where the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline intersects Richmond Road (Route 119) to depressurize the natural gas and feed it into the smaller pipe that will be part of the local distribution system, he said.

The system’s route would follow Richmond Road west to Main Street (Route 10), where it would then turn south to the intersection of Main Street, General James Reed Highway (Route 119) and Warwick Road (Route 78). Along the way, a line would branch off on Parker Street to serve that neighborhood and the school, according to a map Licata presented.

At the intersection of Routes 10, 119 and 78, the distribution pipeline would follow Warwick Road southeast and then turn onto Snow Road, ending at Applewood Rehabilitation Center, according to the map.

William J. Clark, business development professional for Liberty Utilities, said there are breaks in the map to show that it would take more than one construction season to build the local distribution system. Residents and businesses connected to the system would pay the same rates as Liberty Utilities’ natural gas customers in other parts of the state, he said.

Multiple construction seasons would also be needed to build the portion of pipeline proposed to run north along Route 10 in the N.H. Department of Transportation right-of-way from the intersection of Richmond Road and Main Street to bring natural gas to Swanzey and Keene, he said. The line, which is also being referred to as the Keene lateral, would then tie into Keene’s gas infrastructure.

The proposed Northeast Energy Direct pipeline is a 30-inch diameter, high-pressure line bringing natural gas from shale fields in Pennsylvania through upstate New York, parts of northern Massachusetts and into southern New Hampshire before going to a distribution hub in eastern Massachusetts.

The route would cross about 70 miles of southern New Hampshire, including Fitzwilliam, Richmond, Rindge, Troy and Winchester and would carry up to 1.3 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. The amount could provide electricity to 886,162 households.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. is in the pre-filing stages with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has the power to approve or deny the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline officials plan to file the full application for the project with FERC this fall. Company officials anticipate it will take a year for the pipeline to receive federal approval, if it does.

Many people attending Wednesday’s meeting were quick to pepper Liberty Utilities officials with questions about its proposal to build a natural gas distribution system in town, including how it would affect the town’s existing water and sewer infrastructure — some of which isn’t mapped — who would pay for the build-out of the system, and if town residents and business owners really want the option to tie into natural gas.

“Does Winchester or any other town have the ability to say ‘no?’ “ Conservation Commission member Bonnie G. Leveille asked.

Licata said Winchester officials and residents can voice their opposition to Liberty Utilities’ proposal to the N.H. Public Utilities Commission, but company officials would like to partner with the town on the project.

“We want to work with municipal officials on the location of the system and identify and address any concerns on the build-out,” he said.

After the presentation concluded, the four Winchester selectmen present voted unanimously to send a letter to the N.H. Public Utilities Commission about their concerns with Liberty Utilities’ proposal.

Selectman Theresa G. Sepe was absent.

Besides Winchester, Liberty Utilities officials have scheduled a presentation for next week about the expansion plans in Swanzey. That meeting will be held Tuesday at Swanzey Town Hall during the selectmen’s meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.

Licata said Wednesday that presentation dates in Jaffrey and Rindge have yet to be finalized.

Meghan Foley can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436, or mfoley@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

STOP THE NH PIPELINE / ECHO ACTION NEWS

IMPORTANT MEETING TONIGHT IN WINCHESTER

All area residents encouraged to attend in a show of opposition to the pipeline

BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING

Winchester Town Hall

Wednesday, November 4th, 7:00 (TONIGHT!)

LIBERTY UTILITIES PRESENTATION

Liberty Utilities (close, close buddies of Eversource and Kinder Morgan) will be making a presentation to the Board about the option to provide natural (fracked) gas service to parts of town. This will cost those who convert $7,000-$9,000 to convert. On top of that will be the increase to your monthly electric bill to pay for the pipeline through NH!  If completed, the price of gas will INCREASE once the gas is exported, not decrease - that’s their dirty little plan to get you hooked.

Why would you convert to toxic gas in an industry that grows closer to being shut down with each passing day? Have you considered what will happen if fracking is banned and Kinder Morgan shuts down? Their stock keeps falling and their rating is now BBB-, just above junk bonds. Where will we be if their project is left half complete with environmental degradation all around us and no company to hold accountable? 

Come on our tonight! Learn more, know more, share more, educate more so we can STOP THE NED PIPELINE! 

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