VCE Weekly Update

Pipeline Nightmares in Maine

GUEST COLUMN by Waltraud Hannigan and Clare Piawlock, Bethel, Maine

If a pipeline company ever swoops down into your life, asking, telling, wheedling you into letting them install a pipeline in your area, read our story first. It just might inform and inspire you to fight back with every ounce of courage and wisdom that you possess.

Our community fought long and hard to stop the Rumford-Jay Natural Gas Pipeline, a pipeline owned and operated by Portland Natural Gas Transmission Systems (PNGTS). We lost. And now we are living with a time bomb in our front yards. PNGTS's 10-inch high-pressure natural gas pipeline was installed at the side of the road from Albany to Jay, Maine, buried in a ditch three feet deep, in theory at least. In many places they did not get the full three feet depth because of ledges and huge boulders. Elsewhere the pipe lies right on boulders with no cushion underneath. The subcontractor who installed the pipeline along a certain five-mile stretch of rocky terrain expected to do it in two days. Instead, it took three weeks and many shortcuts were taken, including back filling with whatever was handy, including dumping huge rocks on top of the pipe.

And we live in an earthquake prone region. We tried to tell them but no one would listen. In January 2000 there were four quakes in this area. Luckily, the line wasn't broken. Who knows, however, what partial damage may have occurred that could lead to a rupture in the future. When we asked our fire department how much of this valley they could save if an accident or explosion happened, they answered "probably none."

Nowadays, it's scary to watch the washouts along the pipeline route, a heavily traveled road with homes close by. Shoulders along the road were supposed to be restored to their original condition but weren't and are unsafe. None of the fill was packed, resulting in many washouts. This makes driving a challenge to say the least. Contractors did a poor job of patching the pavement as well. All of us keep having our vehicles re-aligned because the roadway is so rough. If any of the numerous big transport trucks that routinely travel this road were to swerve onto these shoulders, the result could very easily be a ruptured gas line.

Many irregularities occurred in the installation of this pipeline. One can only guess at the quality of the so-called inspections of this project. Currently, the Maine DOT is trying to repair the ditches along this road, digging on top of the gas line in order to do this. Hopefully, they won't hit the pipe. One wonders how much protection against damage will exist after they finish the repair by removing about a foot of cover over the pipeline.

The cards were stacked against us from the beginning. With arrogance, lies, and an apparent carte blanche to do as they pleased, PNGTS representatives informed us that they were merely talking to us (about the pipeline) out of the goodness of their hearts. FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, was the only governing body they had to abide by. FERC makes the decision about siting; everything else was just a formality.

Boy, were they right on that score. An aloof FERC responded to citizen queries by providing the phone number of some PR person who knew little more than the callers asking questions. FERC then proceeded to ignore EPA findings that backed many of our concerns: Clean Air and Water Act requirements didn't matter, endangered species were to be collected and replanted but weren't. FERC also ignored their responsibility under the National Environmental Policy Act to consider the full range of environmental impacts, including direct, indirect, and cumulative effects.

When determining the pipeline route, PNGTS used outdated maps. My own property never appeared on any maps or on the draft and final environmental impact statements. Safer alternative routes were disregarded because they were a little more expensive. Warnings by the National Safety Council concerning placement of pipelines and surrounding development went unheeded. As a result, many homes in our area lie within 10 feet of a 1400 psi gas pipeline. Our community ended up feeling that all the rules and regulations intended to protect people and the environment were mere pieces of paper meant to be ignored or simply not enforced.

The law of Eminent Domain was used against us as well. Property owners felt exploited and helpless, unsure of their rights under the law. Now our properties are devalued after PNGTS representatives claimed that the pipeline would increase values. None of us got natural gas.

As is typical in these situations, PNGTS claimed the pipeline was a question of "need." We were told that the Mead Paper Co. in Rumford and the International Paper co. in Jay "needed" the natural gas. In reality, the paper companies simply agreed to try it. International Paper converted one machine to use it. And less than two years after the pipeline was in PNGTS doubled the price of gas charged to the Mead Paper Co. We were told that having natural gas would mean jobs, but Mead has laid off about 50 workers, with more layoffs expected.

The moral here is clear: when the pipeline companies cry "need", assume the worst: greed, not need, is the driving force, without regard to human or environmental costs.

After everything we've been through, rumors are circulating about a second pipeline going in along the same route to supply enough gas for two power plants. We hope it's not true. The thought of even more environmental damage and danger to our families is frightening. Every day I watch my children walk over the pipeline to catch their school bus and feel a great sense of failure. I could not protect them. Maybe one day we won't wake up because a leak in the pipeline has sucked all the oxygen out of our home.

The outrage runs deep. Our community is at a loss to understand how our lives have been endangered, property values diminished, quality of life impaired, and environmental and safety concerns blatantly disregarded, all for a poorly installed, hazardous pipeline of questionable need. The time is long past due when the horrors of the pipeline industry cry out for exposure. Meaningful regulations must be instituted and implemented. American citizens and our environment have been hurt enough.

Of Note:

Bennington Power Plant Site Zoning: After considering the concerns expressed by Bennington citizens on May 23, the Bennington Selectboard voted unanimously on June 13 to keep the proposed power plant site known as the "Jard Site" zoned Village Residential in the Town Plan. They further instructed the Planning Commission to review the town's by-laws and plans to reflect the concerns of Bennington citizens about siting a power plant in Bennington.

Glenville Energy Park Meeting: Residents of Glenville, New York spent the evening of June 15 listening to technical presentations by Tom Macaulay and Earth Tech. After the approval of the Athens, New York 1080 mw power plant last week by New York's Siting Council, Glenville residents are especially alarmed by the lack of local control and respect for local zoning in the Article X power plant siting process.

Appointment: Governor Howard Dean has appointed Vermonters for a Clean Environment's executive director, Annette Smith, to Vermont's Committee to Ensure Clean Air. The committee will begin meeting in July.