Manchester Journal
Commentary
June 11, 1999

Truth, gas and hot air -- how to stop the natural gas pipeline
by Annette Smith

I have just spent two months, full-time, trying to stop the proposed billion dollar natural gas project for Southwestern Vermont.

Before that, I spent months gathering information to understand why anyone would consider anything of this size on such a rapid time-table for our beautiful part of Vermont.

I have endured more than eight hours in the same room with "The Tom & Bruce Show," where Tom Macaulay of the gas plants and Bruce Roloson of NYSEG drone on for hours, repeating the same vapor, without providing any evidence to support anything.

People in the audience ask intelligent questions and Tom and Bruce "basically" (Bruce's favorite word. He said it more than 100 times Monday night in Tinmouth) usurp the majority of the time selling their toxic emissions disguised as benign.

There has been no opportunity for any rebuttal.

For the first time last night, I shared the stage with their show. I presented my fully-documented case so that other people can understand this project.

Some points I made:
--natural gas is just as dirty and destructive as oil,
--the by-products of burning natural gas are greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
--leakage and venting of natural gas releases methane into the atmosphere that negates any potential benefits of replacing oil with natural gas

Their answers? Oil is bad, natural gas is good, and their systems don’t leak.

More from our debate:
--There are safety and health risks associated with natural gas.

Their response: there are rarely any explosions (not true), and there are no health risks (not true).

--There are examples of places where economic development has not happened as a result of having gas.

Tom said economic development happens in places that have natural gas. He gave no examples.

--The company’s fourth and last priority is residential service, and not likely for seven to 10 years.

They continue their sham of selling residential natural gas.

--I showed a five-foot long chart of the 58 proposed natural gas power plants for our region, designed to reserve space on the New England power grid where there is not capacity, let alone need. Based on my research, Tom hasn’t started his studies to reserve space, studies that must be completed at the time of filing in New York.

Tom did not respond.

--There is no mechanism to force older oil, coal or nuclear plants to shut down when natural gas plants come on line.

Based on research, deregulation has resulted in an increase in electricity generation by all those sources, while natural gas and hydro have decreased. I dispute the idea that this electricity will be cheaper – electricity generated by these Vermont plants cannot be solid in Vermont.

Tom continued his prattle that these plants will force dirtier plants (sometimes he says New York, sometimes the Midwest) to shut down because his electricity will be cheaper, and he’ll be happy to sell it in Vermont.

--Tom says these plants will make our air cleaner.

Backed by numerous sources – including Vermont’s Department of Public Service – I say these power plants will dramatically worsen our air quality.

Tom replies that all the pollutants will dissipate within the borders of the power plant site.

--Statistics show there is a discrepancy between the water available for cooling and the water resources they intend to use.

I can’t tell you what they say, it didn’t make any sense even though it took 10 minutes.

--A large industrial site spewing smog is at odds with the “Vermont Life” magazine image that brings tourists to Vermont.

They show computer-generated sketches of their plants hidden in trees.

I show real photos of a plant within a town. They’re big and they can’t hide.

--Statistics on property damage nationwide from natural gas for one year: $47,350,846, with 17 fatalities.

They deny there are concerns about safety, nothing ever happens, nothing ever leaks, there are rarely explosions.

They don’t talk about people dying.

--There is enormous potential for damage from this huge pipeline through undisturbed areas and pristine water supplies.

They say they never cause damage and we would never know they were there.

--What about the “utility corridor” this pipeline route would become? There is a real possibility the power lines will be upgraded.

Tom admitted there has long been the desire for a north/south power line, but denied he would in any way be responsible if that happened.

Bruce responded: you’ll never know they’re there (but there would be regular inspections to fulfill apparently unnecessary safety requirements) … and there would be other unknown conduits in the trench … but nobody takes any responsibility whatsoever for any of that future stuff.

--Property owners have few rights, but we can deny pipeline and state officials access to our land.

Bruce responded to questions about water supplies by saying once they get on the land and we show them our concerns they will work around them.

Do not let them on your land.

--Vermont can meet its energy needs and reduce dependence on fossil fuels through energy efficiency and renewable energy. This project will destroy all possibility of that.

My efforts to derail this project have been intended to try and save our region the time, energy and resources I could tell were going to be consumed by this project.

Given the Governor’s, (excuse me, “King’s”, as described by one property owner at Monday night’s meeting) edict that we must take this project because he says so, it is clear that it will take the heroic efforts of everybody in the region to make the insanity stop.

Write, call, fax, e-mail everybody.

Contact Vermonters for a Clean Environment, 789 Baker Brook Road, Danby, VT 05739, by phone at 802-446-2094 or by e-mail at: vce@vermontel.net and we’ll give you all the names and addresses you need.

Get mad and do something now or our region will be destroyed by this greed-driven, short-sighted, totally destructive effort of some unknown multi-billion dollar financiers who will profit from our apathy.

Annette Smith is spokesperson for Vermonters for a Clean Environment located in Danby.