MEMBER SIGN IN
Not a member? Become one today!
         iBerkshires     Williamstown Chamber     Williams College     Your Government     Land & Housing Debate
Search
Berkshire County Residents Hear Concerns About Kinder Morgan Pipeline
By Jack Guerino, iBerkshires Staff
03:21AM / Saturday, January 17, 2015
Print | Email  

Lanesborough Town Hall was crowded with people hoping to learn more about the proposed natural gas pipeline.

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — North County citizens packed Lanesborough Town Hall on Thursday night for an informational meeting about the proposed Kinder Morgan gas pipeline.

Jane Winn of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team lead the meeting that focused on how the natural gas pipeline could affect residents. It was followed by a Q&A.

Originally, the Tennessee Gas Pipeline, which will carry natural gas from Marcellus Shale territory in Pennsylvania, through New York, Massachusetts, and Maine, was planned to run through Lenox and Richmond. However, after strong resistance a section of the pipeline was rerouted north, through Hancock, Lanesborough, Cheshire, Dalton, Hinsdale and Windsor.

Kinder Morgan and its proponents say the pipeline is safe and critical to meeting the growing energy needs of New England. Environmental groups have disputed the need for the 36-inch diameter pressurized line and its safety.

Thursday's meeting did not involve any Kinder Morgan representatives, although Winn said they were invited. The company is holding two open houses next month: on Monday, Feb. 9, at New Lebanon (N.Y.) High School and Tuesday, Feb. 10, at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield. Both sessions are from 6 to 8 p.m.

The groups opposing the pipeline are also holding meetings on Friday, Jan. 23, noon, at Dodd Dining Hall at Williams College; Saturday, Jan. 24, 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., at American Legion in Dalton; and Saturday, Jan. 31, 9:30 a.m., at Itam Lodge in Pittsfield.

During the Q&A an audience member asked Winn if they were fighting a losing battle.

Winn said they will not be able to stop the five pipelines proposed to run through the state, but they have a good chance at stopping this one.

"I really totally believe that we will be able to stop this. They have never had this kind of opposition," Winn said. "It's never happened to them anywhere else; they have never tried to go through a state like Massachusetts."

Winn said Kinder Morgan has many things working against it including lower oil prices and state-protected land. She said according to the state's Article 97, any conservation protected land is permanently protected and can only be released if two-thirds of the House and Senate agree to release it.

"Kinder Morgan is saying that 'we will go through that process' and we got our legislators saying 'no way, no how are they going to get a two-thirds vote,' " she said. "We are organizing to get all of the legislators across the state to say 'no we won't release the land.' "

She said if it is obvious it cannot get this support, the company may back out.

She added that many legislators on both the state and federal level have spoken out against the pipeline and fracking. She said it is important to keep sending letters to the legislation and all other government bodies involved.

Kinder Morgan can also run into trouble with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Winn said, because the pipe runs through four states FERC must award Kinder Morgan with a certificate of public convenience and necessity; if FERC finds that this certificate should not be awarded, Kinder Morgan will most likely back out.

She said a remark from a town's board of health about safety concerns of the pipeline may also influence FERC.

Some members in the audience showed concern about how the pipeline will affect them as landowners.

The pipeline has to be buried three feet deep and needs a 50-foot wide clear permanent path and up to 100 feet wide clearance during construction. Winn said no permanent structure such as a tree, building, or pond can be near the pipeline.

"There are people who haven't been able to use heavy farm equipment crossing the pipeline and it has divided their farms into two halves," she said, claiming a pipeline can lower property value and cause issues with insurance

"People have had their mortgages recalled, and they have had insurance canceled," Winn said. "I don't know if it is true in our area, but we have read a lot of stories about that happening."

Kinder Morgan says multiple studies have shown no property values affected by existing pipes. (Other company answers can be found here.)

Winn is encouraging landowners on the route to go through the eminent domain process rather than just make a deal. She said insurance companies would be less likely to take insurance away if a landowner was forced into a deal and that it could lead to more reimbursement.

She said any landowner can deny Kinder Morgan permission to survey his or her land and can rescind permission.

Winn added that compressor stations along the pipeline could be an annoyance and danger to landowners. The stations that supply pressure to move the gas along the line can stretch from 50 to 75 acres, have 10-foot fans, and run 24 hours a day. She said the recorded decibel level can be between 50 and 90.

Jane Winn of BEAT speaks at an information meeting on the pipeline held by environmental groups.

She said these compressor stations often have to vent the gas and ruptures can occur. In these scenarios, she said the only thing that can be done is to wait for the pipe to vent or burn out.

She said it is recommended that a station be placed around every 50 miles of the pipeline and they can be added any time after the pipeline is installed. Kinder Morgan plans to build one of these stations in Windsor.

Winn added leakage can occur at different parts of the pipeline and frost heaves can cause ruptures.

A Cheshire resident asked how Kinder Morgan will place the pipe under the Cheshire Reservoir and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail.

"These guys know drillers so they would be drilling down horizontally and back up," Winn said. "They then send the pipeline down. How they will do that and be sure it doesn't leak is totally beyond me."

Where residents asked if there was a way to talk directly to Kinder Morgan, Winn referred to the open house on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at BCC.

"They have tables set up and people come along and talk and tell you how great this is," she said. "I would like lots of people there to ask very pointed questions."

Winn said pipeline and fracking opposition is growing across the country and there is continued pressure on FERC.

"We really do just have to keep up the pressure, and I think we will win," Winn said.

Comments
More Featured Stories
Williamstown.com is owned and operated by: Boxcar Media 102 Main Sreet, North Adams, MA 01247 -- T. 413-663-3384
© 2011 Boxcar Media LLC - All rights reserved