Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey says there is no need for increased gas capacity to meet the state’s electric reliability needs. This comes as Kinder Morgan prepares to file plans with the federal government on a pipeline cutting across the Northeast.Healey says a study commissioned by her office shows the region is unlikely to face electric reliability issues in the next 15 years and additional energy needs can be met more cheaply and cleanly through efficiency and other measures. The Democrat says ratepayers shouldn’t foot the bill for additional pipelines. Kinder Morgan’s 400-plus mile Northeast Energy Direct Project would run through Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Company vice president of public affairs Allen Fore says energy generators are demanding the project go forward.
“They’re saying in the long-term that they need additional natural gas supply for the region,” Fore said during a September 2014 informational meeting in Pittsfield, Mass.
Kinder Morgan plans to file its application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by Friday, which will begin the formal review process. Healey’s office sent FERC the report.
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