In what could be a glimpse of what lies ahead for the gas pipeline proposed through Franklin County, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday approved Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.’s proposed Connecticut Expansion Project.
The natural gas pipeline consists of three loops totaling 13.42 miles in length, on two existing TGP lines — one of which runs across the southern tier of Massachusetts, from which an 8.26-mile-long, 24-inch-diameter loop would extend from an Agawam compressor station, southward into Connecticut
The decision is significant in Massachusetts because of a 3.81-mile-long, 36-inch-diameter loop near Sandisfield that would cut across nearly four miles of Otis State Forest, which is protected under Article 97 of the Massachusetts State Constitution.
A legislative bill to release that land for use as a pipeline is pending in the Massachusetts Legislature, where it would have to be approved by a two-thirds vote of legislative branches, in what could be a precedent-setting case with implications for the TGP Northeast Energy Direct project proposed to cut across Plainfield, Ashfield, Conway, Shelburne, Deerfield, Montague, Erving, Northfield and Warwick.
In an editorial page column in Friday’s Recorder, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg said, “It’s true that no pipeline ever approved by FERC has ever not been built as a result of local or state challenge. Courts have traditionally overridden local and state laws to allow construction, but they’ve never had to deal with something like this, where it’s embedded in the (state) constitution.”
Rosenberg added, “The Article 97 discussion will be a huge moment in this debate, kind of the final moment.”
More information is available at: 1.usa.gov/1UZlsSK
You can reach Richie Davis at: rdavis@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, Ext. 269