Pipeline opponents are holding rallies Saturday in southern Berkshire County against the proposed Connecticut Expansion Project. Susan Triolo is with the Sugar Shack Alliance, one of the lead organizers of Saturday’s rallies. She spoke with WAMC about the effort.Roughly 13 miles of pipeline loops would be built in Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut to deliver gas to utilities in Connecticut. Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, is pursing the federally-approved project. The company says the project is needed to meet increasing demand for natural gas transportation capacity in the Northeast.
Outstanding permits and a stay by a Berkshire Superior Court judge are delaying work. Meanwhile, Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a vote on allowing easements in Otis State Forest which is protected under the state constitution.
In Berkshire Superior Court, Kinder Morgan has argued that Massachusetts should not be able to stop or decide where to route a project already approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Click here for WAMC's coverage of the Connecticut Expansion Project and opposition to it.