Dalton withdraws permission for gas pipeline

Dalton’s Select Board has voted to withdraw the permission it had granted to Tennessee Gas Company to perform survey work, following opposition to a proposed gas pipeline through the Berkshires.

According to The Berkshire Eagle, almost 50 residents gathered in the town hall for a special meeting to encourage the Select Board to rescind the permission, granted in February, to survey a 19-acre piece of land.

Tennessee Gas intends to build a 250-mile pipeline to carry natural gas from upstate New York to Dracut, north of Lowell. Two weeks ago, the company reported that the survey was imminent.

The Northeast Pipeline Expansion Project calls for a high-pressure, 36-inch line to pass through areas of Richmond, Lenox, Washington, Dalton, Hinsdale, Peru and Windsor.

A number of these communities have expressed opposition to the project, citing reasons such as environmental concerns and fears the gas would be exported with little benefit to Berkshire residents.

Opponents on Sunday began a protest march, beginning in Richmond and following the path of the proposed pipeline through the state.

A petition opposing the continued reliance of fossil fuels “in favour of alternative renewable energy resources” was presented at the meeting, signed by numerous residents.

The petition alleged that the fossil fuel industry is hampering renewable energy development and the people’s ability to participate in “economic, health and environmental [planning] beyond the financial interests of the fossil fuel industry.”

The Select Board voted 3-1 in favour of rescinding the permission.

Edited from various sources by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/14072014/dalton_withdraws_permission_for_pipeline_survey_638/