Massachusetts Senate President Stan Rosenberg is asking federal energy regulators to take into consideration the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gases as they review a proposed natural gas pipeline.In a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Rosenberg says he's concerned that Kinder Morgan’s Northeast Energy Direct pipeline through southern New Hampshire and western Massachusetts could set back those efforts.
Rosenberg pointed to the state's 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions between 10 percent and 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
The Amherst Democrat says Massachusetts is instead trying to increase the availability of solar power, off-shore wind turbines, hydropower and other technologies to meet future energy demand.
FERC is currently accepting public comment on the $5 billion project until Jan. 15th after being extended following a FERC website malfunction. The previous deadline was Jan. 6.
Click here for WAMC's continuing coverage of the Northeast Energy Direct Project.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.