Whether you are passionate about responsible growth, preserving Sheffield’s charm, or simply looking for a way to contribute, your involvement can make a meaningful impact.
Created by the class of 2019 at Four Rivers Charter Public School in Greenfield, “Under Pressure” covers the September 2018 Merrimack Valley Columbia Gas explosions and the natural gas industry in Massachusetts and nationally.
Along with Elizabeth Orenstein, Rosemary Wessel will lead an interactive conversation and demonstration of how to use invasive plant species and common weeds as food.
“Through our presence, we will bear witness to the beauty of Spectacle Pond, protest its despoilment, and resist the fossil fuel industry’s continued degradation of our precious collective resources for private profit.”
-- Sugar Shack Alliance
Following nearly four years of struggle against a powerful company (Kinder Morgan and its subsidiary, Tennessee Gas Pipeline) backed by laws and a Federal commission, it seems that now is an appropriate point to judge performances of the various participants and agencies that could have made more of a difference to avoid this calamity.
Congressman Richard Neal has demanded that decisions made by FERC regarding the Connecticut Expansion Project be deferred until a quorum of FERC commissioners is reached and all vacant FERC commissioner seats are filled: “It is my belief that the rehearing [on the permit] should occur before a single tree is cleared and construction on this project commences.”
According to deputy tribal historic preservation officer Doug Harris, one-third of the ceremonial stone landscapes will be disturbed or destroyed during the construction of the pipeline.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is now requiring, among other things, clarification “that Tennessee would not fell trees in areas where it has not obtained an easement or purchase of property…including lands protected under Article 97 of the Massachusetts State Constitution.”
“This is very exciting news. While very few people see the need for this gas line, all that we have ever asked of Kinder Morgan and FERC is to follow the process, be open and be fair to this beautiful community of 800 residents."
-- State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli
Fairview Hospital has donated $1,500 to the People’s Pantry. The gift was made possible by proceeds from the Fairview’s annual Monster Dash 5k walk/run.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has extended the deadline for commenting and for intervening as a party to the proceedings to January 15 at 5 p.m. Intervener status allows full participation in hearings on Northeast Direct (NED), including cross-examination and the submission of briefs.
The 11-week program at Ramsdell Library will include regular library services as well as special events such as films, workshops, book discussions and readings.
Can anyone doubt that climate change is real and upon us, already melting the glaciers, acidifying the oceans, and setting off droughts, floods and storms of Biblical proportions? The question is, now that we are aware, what are we to do?
The study did not consider the impact of pipeline investments on Massachusetts’s long-term reliance on natural gas, nor did it consider these investments’ potential displacement of alternative energy sources. Environmental impacts of pipeline siting and construction and of natural gas extraction were also not considered.
The pipeline proposed by Kinder Morgan would add more than 15 times the expected growth rate in natural gas consumption in New England. This pipeline is providing natural gas for export.
