Saturday, August 29, 2015

Proposed pipeline route moves again in Winchester

 By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff

WINCHESTER — A proposed new route for a controversial natural gas pipeline avoids much of the town’s drinking water aquifer and natural resources, including Pulpit Falls.
And while some town officials and residents are happy company representatives listened to their concerns, they say they’ll keep fighting until there’s no plan to bring a pipeline through town.
“Now that they moved it, they want people to say, ‘Great, you listened to us and moved it so it’s OK for us to let our guard down,’ “ said Susan L. Durling, part of Winchester N.H. Gas Pipeline Awareness, an anti-pipeline group. “We’re not letting our guard down.”
The Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. LLC, a Kinder Morgan company, is proposing to build a pipeline carrying natural gas from shale gas fields in Pennsylvania through upstate New York, part of northern Massachusetts and into southern New Hampshire before going to a distribution hub in eastern Massachusetts.
The Northeast Energy Direct pipeline would cross 71 miles of southern New Hampshire, including the Monadnock Region towns of Fitzwilliam, Richmond, Rindge, Troy and Winchester.
Liberty Utilities, which is interested in buying natural gas from the pipeline for its customers, is considering building a line to branch off the pipeline to provide its customers in the Keene area with natural gas.
The recent route change is the second Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. officials have proposed through Winchester.
In July, they met with selectmen and the conservation commission to discuss a proposal that would move the pipeline south of the wellhead protection area part of the stratified aquifer. They said at the time the proposal would be the new preferred route for the pipeline.
However, board and commission members continued to express concern to company officials that the pipeline wouldn’t be leaving the path of Eversource’s electrical transmission lines until after crossing less than 100 feet from Pulpit Rock and just under 600 feet from Pulpit Falls, which are both on conservation land owned by the town.
Local history says Native Americans from the Massemet and Nawelet villages likely met annually in the area of the falls and nearby rock to challenge each other to games and enjoy one another’s company.
According to preliminary route maps delivered to Winchester Town Hall this week, the pipeline would leave the electrical transmission lines while still in Warwick, Mass., and travel northeast toward Old Warwick and Upper Snow roads. It would pass east of Pulpit Falls and Pulpit Rock, as well as avoid Bent Pond, which straddles the Winchester and Warwick border.
The pipeline would then cross Warwick Road (Route 78) farther south than the route proposed in July and travel toward Scotland Road. After Scotland Road it would make a sharp turn north, crossing Pudding Hill Road toward Richmond Road (Route 119).
Winchester Town Administrator Shelly Walker said Thursday that the preliminary maps were dropped off at town hall Tuesday afternoon.
The conservation commission has asked her to send the maps to the Southwest Region Planning Commission to match them up with the town’s tax maps to see which properties the new route would affect, she said.
Richard N. Wheatley, spokesman for the Northeast Energy Direct project, didn’t confirm the new proposed route in an email Thursday. He would only say, “We continue to examine routing options for the proposed NED Project as we continue stakeholder outreach and move toward an anticipated FERC certificate filing in October. But we have made no final re-route decisions.”
FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is charged with deciding whether to approve the project after the certificate is filed.
When asked if Tennessee Gas Pipeline officials considered the new proposal as a preferred route or alternate route, Wheatley said “(n)o additional proposed routing information to provide at this time. The full certificate filing has been planned for October.”
Selectmen Chairwoman Roberta A. Fraser said Thursday that while she and other town officials and residents are happy the pipeline is proposed to avoid Pulpit Falls and the aquifer, they’re bothered that it’s still coming through Winchester.
At the July meeting, the conservation commission voted to allow Fraser and commission member John H. Hann to give Kinder Morgan and Tennessee Gas Pipeline officials a tour of the Pulpit Falls and Pulpit Rock property.
Fraser said Thursday that tour took place at the end of July, and conservation commission member Benjamin Kilanski also participated.
Conservation commission member Gustave A. Ruth said the new proposed route is an improvement over the previous two, but it “just didn’t go far enough.”

Monday, August 24, 2015

TRESPASSING SURVEYORS

They seem to think they can go any place they want ..

TRESPASSING SURVEYORS

What we recommend:
- Call the police.
- Make sure a police report is written and you get a copy.
- File the police report with FERC. E-File or mail - need help? Let us know!

This legally documents the action and keeps local law enforcement aware of what is going on in the community. This may also help to put pressure on KM contractors to stay put where they belong.

STAND STRONG. SPEAK OUT. TAKE ACTION. UNITE AND FIGHT!

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Stop NH The Pipeline Newsletter

* STOP THE NH PIPELINE - EVENTS! *








STOP THE NH PIPELINE / ECHO ACTION NEWS

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are at a critical time (always!) and we need a lot more volunteers.

• Do you belong to a House of Worship in New Hampshire? We need your help!
• Can you reach out to Senior Citizens and others who may not be able to attend FERC meetings?
• Can you attend a weekly rally/vigil in Fitzwilliam, Winchester, Northfield, or another town? Just bring a sign, smile & wave to raise awareness! We’ll give you information to share with anyone who stops to ask questions. 
• We are without funding and pay for all our own gas, copies and supplies. We always need others to make or pay for:
- Copies of flyers, maps, photographs, banners…
- Gas cards - we drive a lot!
- Contacting businesses - will they put out a No Pipeline sign and allow for information at their client counter?

FITZWILLIAM HOMES, RESTAURANTS, FARMS, BARNS & BUSINESSES WANTED to participate in an exciting hands-on fund raising event! 

NEEDED
• Fitzwilliam venues for open houses.
• Volunteers from all local towns!
• Snacks & treats!
• Musicians & Poets! (Have a special talent to share? We want to know about it!)
• Unique New England experiences!

Contact Stephanie for more details! You won’t want to miss being a part of this unique event!


IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS!

SUMMER FUN EVENTS FIGHTING THE PIPELINE!

Wednesday, August 26thEvery Wednesday night beginning at 4:30!
Winchester Pipeline Vigil (corner of Routes 119 & 10) & Fitzwilliam Pipeline Vigil (corner of Routes 119 & 12) 


Thursday, August 27th - Every Thursday night beginning at 4:30!
Northfield Pipeline Vigil (On Gulf Road, Northfield Mountain)

Saturday, August 29th, 10:00 am
March & Rally from Ashuelot River Park to Central Square in Keene! Meet in the park’s parking lot.

Motorcycle Ride leaving from 3 NH locations to Winter's Summer Home Farm​ in New Ipswich for Country BBQ & Live Music Fest  NH Spirit Pipeline shirts included in ride or sold separately. 

The Country BBQ & Music Fest at the Farm is open to all!  More information at NHspirit.org.

Sunday, August 30th
7:00 pmTom Rush in Concert at the Amato Center in Milford! Tickets still available!


   Twitter: ECHOactionteam

   Community Liaison, Outreach, Communications
   Twitter: StopTheNHPipe

Monadfnock Region deserves to hear more about pipeline plan

Sens. Ayotte, Shaheen and Rep. Kuster, we need a third scoping session:

I sent an email to Eric Tomasi (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s environmental project manager for the Northeast Direct Pipeline) on June 2, 2015, making a case for a scoping session in Rindge. My final statement in the email was that I was beginning to feel the regulatory process under FERC was a farce. I also sent a copy of the same email to FERC’s e-comments. I received a confirmation on that e-comment, so I know they got it.
The newly scheduled open houses are a sorry excuse for being transparent. They do however, satisfy the request of all of our legislators that Kinder Morgan listen to us.
Time has moved on, a FERC-mailed document and articles in our local papers told us that there would be a scoping session in Nashua and Milford and a TBD session in the Winchester area. So, hope springs eternal; in the Monadnock Region, we felt, we were finally going to get a chance to voice our concerns.
Much letter-writing to Concord and Washington about the need for more time and a third scoping session in the Monadnock Region prompted Eric Tomasi to tell the assembled people in Nashua that there would definitely be a third session in the Monadnock Region. Hopes soared, our government was going to work for us.
The next day, at the Milford scoping session, Tomasi made no announcement about a third scoping session in the Monadnock Region. This prompted my wife to ask Eric why he did not tell the Milford crowd that a third session was being scheduled. Eric got evasive and wouldn’t give her a straight answer. My guess is the bureaucrats in Washington felt the storm had blown over, they had heard quite enough objections to this pipeline and they could move on to business as usual.
I should note at this point that people were turned away at the Milford scoping session because the town hall was full.
I hope this letter, email, e-comment, etc., is making people angry, I’m tired of big-money politics, petro-dollars, a government managed by lobbyists, and an organization masquerading as a regulatory body telling us we have to live with a project that has a cost, but no benefit. I’ve been fighting this project since December of 2014; please help me make this effort worthwhile. Please write to your representatives and senators, the governor, our Executive Council, representatives and senators in Washington, FERC, most of all, and my Executive Councilor David Wheeler’s favorite bureaucrat, Eric Tomasi. My hope is that everyone will send so many postings, by whatever is your preferred method, that they are still digging out of it next July.
Before I go any further, please note Eric’s email address: eric.tomasi@FERC.gov Please feel free to use the text of this message if it in any way will help you communicate your concern to our government and the media. Social media-oriented folks, have at it. Citizens of New Hampshire, let’s make General John and Molly Stark proud of what we are doing here in New Hampshire in the 21st century.
JAN A. GRISKA
18 Atlantic Drive
Rindge

Where are our senators in pipeline battle?

A mother’s plea to Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte:
Sen. Shaheen and Sen. Ayotte, you are well aware that the Kinder Morgan gas pipeline route through Richmond was recently moved from nearby woods to a route right through six homes, including my own. I cannot understand how both of you can be aware of a mother’s fear for her children and still ignore us. I just can’t believe that you apparently have chosen not to help.
Sen. Shaheen and Sen. Ayotte, what we and our neighbors are asking of you is quite simple and should be very easy to accomplish. Simply have the pipeline route returned to where Kinder Morgan originally wanted it and away from our homes. Yet we hear nothing from you offering to intercede on our behalf.
The pipeline is going through our yard because a group of Connecticut millionaire investors were able to exert influence over the process and have the pipeline route changed from their heavily cut woodland “posted against any public use” to a route through our houses. The Connecticut group represented its land as public access recreation land that needed protection, which is absolutely untrue. Are you supporting them?
Our two children found an idyllic hilltop wonderland of grand pines, hemlocks and streams providing countless opportunities for playful adventure. For us we found the perfect home, private, safe and surrounded by the woods we love and, most importantly, safety for our children. It would be the home our children would grow up in.
Today that is all at risk of being destroyed by the Kinder Morgan gas pipeline proposed to go through our yard within feet of our home. There will be a 150-foot-wide path of destruction, the gas pipeline itself and we will be located in what Kinder Morgan calls an “incendiary zone.”
Not only will we be surrounded by heavy construction, blasting and clear-cutting, once that nightmare has passed we will have a dangerous pipeline carrying volatile gas right by our home. Kinder Morgan’s safety record for the pipelines it owns across the country is abysmal. Yet I am supposed to raise my family in this environment. This is every parent’s worst fear, you must realize this.
In addition, the new route goes through land that is open to the public and is used for a wide range of activities and is an extremely fragile ecosystem supporting endangered species, wetlands, streams and springs feeding our wells.
Like most people, we have a mortgage and our home is our biggest investment. When we bought this house and took on the extra expense required to live here, we had no regrets. This was primarily a decision made for our children.
Never could we have imagined being part of this nightmare. Yes, our house may survive this destructive construction process but the wonderland our children discovered and have reveled in every single day since we came to live here and our sense of safety will be destroyed forever.
Today our house is unsellable because of the potential pipeline route and its value will be drastically reduced if the pipeline does go through. Like our neighbors, we are not able to pack up and walk away from our home. If our homes even survive.
It seems sometimes political leaders become insulated or removed from the regular people and families they represent. Yes, I understand the Iran nuclear negotiations are important but so are my children and my neighbors’ grandchildren and the disabled man two doors away and we are in need of your help. We may not be as glamorous as international negotiations but Sen. Shaheen and Sen. Ayotte, we also matter.

KATLYN KENNEDY
38 Scott Mountain Road
Richmond

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

STOP THE NH PIPELINE / ECHO ACTION NEWS

STOP THE NH PIPELINE / ECHO ACTION NEWS



   Twitter: ECHOactionteam


   Community Liaison, Outreach, Communications
   Twitter: StopTheNHPipe






DID FERC GET SCARED AND FREAK OUT???

FERC's permit request for using the Cheshire Fairgrounds was approved by the Swanzey Board of Selectmen last night. As of this morning, FERC told a source that they would announce the Cheshire County scoping tomorrow. We have now heard that FERC says:

1.  It doesn't give people enough notice. Other towns received notice two weeks ahead. 
2. They have concerns about crowd safety at the Fairgrounds.

Are we buying their story about crowd safety? Hmmmmm. The new proposed date is September 23rd or 24th. 

That's okay FERC, we will carry on. 

PLANS ARE NOT ON HOLD. The CALL TO ACTION is still on! Carry on pipeline protesters!!!


Monday, August 17, 2015

Stop NH The Pipeline Newsletter

THANKS TO THESE BUSINESSES FOR THEIR SUPPORT!
Pipeline information and a sign up sheet for the Stop the NH Pipeline newsletter and alerts is available at these local businesses:

- Big Daddy’s RV at 15 Main Street, Winchester, NH
- Hair Solutions at 21 Warwick Road, Winchester, NH

Would you like to put a sign in the window of your business, offer pipeline information and a sign up sheet, or do you have questions? Contact us!

EMAIL

FACEBOOK
Winchester NH Gas Pipeline Awareness
and
Stop The NH Pipeline: Fitz/Troy/Rich/Win





   Community Liaison, Outreach, Communications
   Twitter: StopTheNHPipe
   ECHO Action: Earth & Energy • Climate • Health & Habitat • Outreach   Twitter: ECHOactionteam

STOP THE NH PIPELINE - ALERT

STOP THE NH PIPELINE - ALERT

RICHMOND / WINCHESTER SURVEYOR ALERT
Two survey vans with 6-8 people was spotted just in Winchester just over the line from Richmond (could be for either town or both) at 8:20 this morning. 

• Be on alert. 
• If you haven’t denied access yet, you can deny access verbally.
• If you’ve previously allowed access, you can deny access verbally now.
• If you need help denying access, please contact me ASAP.

Remember, denying survey access is something WE CAN ALL DO regardless of our status along the pipeline route. It sends a message to FERC that we are opposed to the pipeline and it protects the rest of us if the route shifts, which it recently has in both Winchester and Richmond.

If you see surveyors on your land and they don’t leave, you should call the police, file a report, and REPORT IT TO FERC!

If you see surveyors on your neighbor’s land, you can call the police and report it to your neighbor.

QUESTIONS? We have answers!  

FOR NEW MEMBERS OF THIS LIST, I have attached a document about speaking with surveyors.




   Community Liaison, Outreach, Communications
   Twitter: StopTheNHPipe

HOW TO TALK WITH SURVEYORS!
!
When you see someone surveying in your area, there are some key questions you can
ask. Remember, these are people doing a job. They should know that they are going into
a location with a controversial project, hence all the anti-pipeline signs. Don’t panic. Talk.
Ask questions. Try to obtain information.! !
Safety first: If you are alone, feel unsafe or feel that they are in violation of privacy, trespass or
safety, call your local police department. It’s good to have that number in or near your phone.! !
My Local Police Department: ( ______ ) ________ - ________! !
Surveyor: A licensed engineer who stakes out property boundaries to create a drawing
showing the location, fence lines and other information about a property and its proximity to
other land, easements, utilities and public rights of way.! !
1. “Hi. Are you doing survey work here?”!
2. “What company do you work for? Do you have a business card with your your name and
company’s contact information?”!
3. “What state are you from? Do you have a license to work in this state?”!
4. “Are you surveying for a homeowner, business, or a specific project?”!
5. “What project are you working on?”!
6. “What property are you surveying?”!
7. “How long are you/your company expected to be working in the area?”!
8. If appropriate, “Have you been informed that I have (my neighbor has) denied access to my
(their) property and have no trespassing signs posted?”!
9. Keep copies of your Deny Access paperwork near your door. Bring it with you when you
speak to surveyors or other contractors.!
10. You can call the company and ask if they have background checks done on their
employees. Such checks can be required by towns or states in reference to a project.!
11. Remain calm. Take Photos. Call the police if necessary. Report any illegal or inappropriate
actions, bullying, threatening to the police and to FERC.




SS.StopTheNHPipeline@yahoo.com • STOP THE NH PIPELINE • Facebook: StopTheNHPipeline

Friday, August 14, 2015

Is everyone happy with their new property values ?

 We were asked to open this for discussion by anonymous:

Looks like the town has figured out another way to raise taxes without raising the tax rate .. Just enlist Avitar to increase the value of your home and property to get them the extra money they want to raise employee pay and buy more new toys for them as well .. Nice way to treat us citizens in an economically challenged town in a struggling housing market ..  Wonder how many lawsuits will get filed over this latest fiasco implemented by our wonderful Select Board ?

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Senator, make pipeline stance known, by John Macdonald

Sen. Kelly Ayotte needs to make up her mind and oppose the Kinder Morgan gas pipeline planned for Winchester, Richmond and Fitzwilliam.

This 150-foot-wide swath of clear-cut and bulldozed destruction threatens not only important natural resources, streams and aquifers but also people's homes, including my own. Even if one does not want the pipeline, Kinder Morgan is seeking the power of eminent domain.

Sen. Ayotte will not even let her constituents know if she supports or opposes this project. Not unlike Hilary Clinton, who engendered criticism by Republicans and Democrats alike by refusing to announce her position on the Keystone pipeline. Yet Ayotte seems to be able to successfully avoid stating her position. A senior Ayotte staff member explained away the duck by saying she "does not have a real say on the process because it is a regulatory commission" that makes the decision (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) so the senator has no opinion.

This answer is both misleading and disingenuous and almost a recognition of political weakness. However independent, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was created by Congress, is funded by Congress, committee members are confirmed by the Senate and the commission is under both House and Senate oversight. And one may submit comments to the commission.

Is the new standard for the senator that she will only express opinions on bills she will be voting on and nothing else?

Regardless who makes the final decision, Sen. Ayotte has every right and responsibility to make her position known. It is also difficult to accept that a United States Senator has no influence over major projects in their home state.

Sen. Ayotte, you cannot begin to understand my disappointment in you. It's not every day you can help make a 60-year-old disabled man homeless.

John Macdonald
56 Scott Mountain Road
Richmond

   

SOUTHWESTERN NH COMMUNITY MEETING IN FITZWILLIAM:

Pipeline Info, Scoping Prep, Compressor, Rallies, Signs, Kid Activists, & Town Organizers Meeting
 
 
⚑ Residents of Fitzwilliam, Troy, Richmond and Winchester are encouraged to attend! All are welcome. 

FITZWILLIAM TOWN HALL
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15TH - this weekend!

PRESENTATIONS & MINI SESSIONS
* Tentative - Schedule still being developed *

8:00 Rally on the Fitzwilliam Village Common
It’s a great opportunity to MEET & GREET! Please join us! Bring your coffee and your sign. Come introduce yourself and say hello!
• Slogans & Sign Making for Kids, Tweens, Teens & Adults!

9:30-12:00 Presentations & Mini Sessions

• Scoping Information & Prep w/ Maryann Harper
• Compressor & Metering Stations w/ Deirdre Derchin Olson
• Developing Scoping Statements - Breakout sessions by town (see below)
• Working with the Press / Letters to the Editor w/ Marianne Salcetti
• Social Media, Speaking with Pipeline Proponents, Gathering Communities w/ Stephanie Scherr

12:00/end of meeting Town Organizers Meeting / SW Scoping Prep (on the Fitzwilliam Town Library porch)

12:00 Picnic on the Fitzwilliam Common 
Come for the workshops, stay to chat with friends!
Bring a picnic lunch and a chair or blanket.

* Breakout Session leaders needed for Troy, Richmond & Winchester. Leaders should be prepared to help others write scoping statements and address issues specific to their town.

Donations Needed
• Coffee & Muffins, Fruit, Snacks.
• Poster Board, Markers, Stencils, Glitter or Glitter Pens

PLEASE JOIN US!



STOP THE NH PIPELINE
   Twitter: StopTheNHPipe
ECHO Action: Earth & Energy • Climate • Health & Habitat • Outreach
   Twitter: ECHOactionteam
   FB: ECHO Action

Officers Jumping Ship?

There has been several reports that our local police officers, officers that we paid to train at the academy, supplied uniforms and weapons to are turning in their resignations and moving on to other towns.  Does anyone know what's going on and why they are leaving? Inquiring minds want to know.


Anonymous said...
This page is getting boring about all the Kinder Morgan Posts, I know everyone is trying to stop all of this and have put a lot of time and research in as well.

We the people what to know why two police officer(s) gave there resignation, inquiring minds what to know.

Thank you

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

ACCESS DENIED !!!

Let Kinder Morgan and FERC know just how you feel about this intrusion into your way of life and the State of New Hampshire 
Send them a loud and clear message

NO PIPELINE !!!





    click on the image to open another window and enlarge the print .. you can also download a copy by right clicking and choosing "save image as"

    click on the image to open another window and enlarge the print .. you can also download a copy by right clicking and choosing "save image as"


    GET INVOLVED !!

    Seems as though our town officials don't give a hoot one way or the other, but their silence on this matter is very disturbing. Why no official word coming out of town hall on a matter of grave importance to homeowners, the environment of our watershed?

    No mater which part of town you live in you will be indirectly affected either by having this pipeline come through your property or be in close proximity of a compressor station or along the route where you may be subjected to leaks and explosions ..


    click on the image to open another window to enlarge the print .. you can also download a copy by right clicking and choosing "save image as"

    click on the image to open another window to enlarge the print .. you can also download a copy by right clicking and choosing "save image as"

    Monday, August 3, 2015

    Someone Else is Fighting Kinder Morgan

    Don’t let toxic pollution destroy our wildlife rehabilitation and education center

    Sunday, August 2, 2015

    Very Interesting Read for Everyone regarding the Proposed Pipeline

    Evidence is mounting that higher electricity rates in New England are a gimmick perpetrated by the power industry to support the construction of a natural gas pipeline network, like the one pictured above, that would be paid for by a tariff on electricity bills. Sixty-eight percent of the gas conveyed by the pipelines would be exported.


    https://theberkshireedge.com/rising-electricity-rates-explained-blackmail-gas-pipeline/