PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
Lynnfield resident Roy Pincus expresses his concern about the Kinder Morgan pipeline’s impact on his family and on their water supply during a meeting regarding the proposed gas pipeline.
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
LYNNFIELD — Officials and residents cried foul over a proposed Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline that would run through Lynnfield during a contentious public hearing Wednesday night.
More than 100 people packed Lynnfield Middle School to oppose a request by the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. LLC, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, that the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) grant the company permission to survey land owned by more than 400 homeowners who have denied them access. The utility said the pipeline will help meet increased demand for natural gas.
Roy Pincus, of 25 North Hill Drive, Lynnfield, said the pipeline would run through his property.
“My wife and my three boys moved into our home less than 18 months ago without any knowledge of this monstrosity that is slated to come right through our front yard,” Pincus said.
Pincus called the company “deceitful,” adding that it is $47 billion in debt with barely enough cash to build the new pipeline.
Several elected officials expressed concerns about how the proposed pipeline would impact the Ipswich River.
“The Ipswich River is one of the five most endangered rivers in the nation and a main source of drinking water in southern Essex County,” said State Rep. Ted Speliotis (D-Danvers). “It doesn’t make sense to have a pipeline in a small river that serves as the drinking water for most of the area.
The proposal, dubbed the Northeast Energy Direct Project, is pending before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The pipeline company maintains the surveys are needed to gather information required for FERC’s review of the project.
The DPU is holding six public hearings in areas that would be affected by the pipeline, with two scheduled for Dracut and Andover. Based on the feedback, the DPU will decide whether to grant access. In addition to Lynnfield, the natural gas line would run through portions of northern Massachusetts, including West Peabody and Danvers.
Steve Woodbury, a North Reading resident, asked if there had ever been a case of a survey being denied by the DPU.
“There has not been a case where the DPU has denied a survey,” said Steve August, an attorney for the DPU.
Woodbury then asked if the people were never right, adding that the project is all about the money for a billion dollar company.
“It makes us feel that this is a dog and pony show and that we’re just jumping through hoops,” Woodbury said.
Phil Crawford, chairman of the Lynnfield Board of Selectmen, said when the project first came forward, he met with Kinder Morgan management, head engineers and land surveyors. Before the hearing, he spoke with a head engineer of the project, who informed him that he, along with all of the management, head engineers and land surveyors, had all been fired by Kinder Morgan within the past several weeks.
“The entire team that has been working on this has all been fired,” Crawford said. “Kinder Morgan does not have enough end users at this point to even consider the project.”
Robert Croce, of Peabody, a candidate for the 13th Essex District state representative seat, said the main objective of the pipeline would be to export gas to European markets, rather than to supply homes and businesses on the North Shore.
Fred Hopps, a Beverly resident, agreed.
“This is gas we don’t need that’s not going to benefit Massachusetts,” Hopps said. “It’s an export project. That’s clear. We know that.”
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.