For Immediate Release:

Monday, August 3, 2015

Lateral Towns Protest Expansion of Kinder Morgan Pipeline Export Facilities
Groups to hold a stand-out and testify at Energy Facilities Siting Board Hearing Tonight in Dracut
Contact: Caroline Zuk (978) 454-7252 (Dracut); Wayne Castonguay, Ipswich River watershed, 978-360-2272; Rich Cowan
(Dracut), (617) 642-3379; John Hess (Andover), 978-470-0806
Towns on the Lynnfield Lateral and other eastern laterals that are part the so-called Northeast Energy Direct project are
preparing to protest the pipeline project today at 6:00pm at Dracut High School in Dracut, MA. The protest precedes a public
hearing of the Energy Facilities Siting Board ( http://goo.gl/hqr2iG ) on the NED proposal, beginning at 7pm in the auditorium.
This action will be led by Dracut Pipeline Awareness Group, an organization of over 200 residents concerned about the
proposed incursion by Kinder Morgan, Inc. of oversized pipeline and compression station facilities, designed for export, into their
neighborhood of East Dracut.
A recent press release by the company on July 17 described plans to downsize the project as "the result of reductions in
commitments it received from customers."
However the new release, on July 24, of over 6,000 pages of Resource Reports to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
shows expanded infrastructure in Dracut, Andover, Tewksbury, North Reading, Wilmington, and Lynnfield.
The new project configuration greatly increases the potential flow of gas through Dracut, according to a statement released by
the Dracut group. While Kinder Morgan was touting the pipeline reduction in a Greenfield press conference on Thursday, many
abutters took a closer look at the July 24 reports from Kinder Morgan, and noticed a change in the 16.7 mile lateral that would
bring gas within I-495 into metro Boston. The diameter of that lateral is now changed from 20 to 24 as is shown below.

The chart shows that the project is a moving target, and that Kinder Morgan has never been clear on the projects intent. The
new expansions in Dracut are described in the Volume 1, RR1 section of the Kinder Morgan filing, which is available at the
elibrary on ferc.gov and also archived here:
http://nofrackedgasinmass.org/resource-report-project-scope-update-72415/
In addition, Kinder Morgan upsized the proposed Canadian Maritimes meter station in Dracut, to be situated across the street
from St. Francis Church, from 0.12 billion cubic feet per day to 0.5 billion cubic feet per day. The capacity of this meter station
is important because it shows that far more of the gas here is just going to be sent off to other countries, said local farmer Jim
Ogonowski. Jims property on Broadway Road is crossed twice by the pipeline route. The Dracut Land Trust, established by his
brother John, also owns affected farm land east of Jones Avenue.

There is absolutely NO NEED for a project that has no firm definition. If we allow in one industrial facility of this magnitude, it will
allow many others that we dont need, and undermine the reason why many people choose to live here in the first place, said
Caroline Zuk, Team Leader of Dracut Pipeline Awareness Group. Zuk is referring to the proposed 23,000 horsepower
compressor station which Kinder Morgan has sited away from any significant energy or highway corridor, in the midst of a
residential neighborhood.
Although Kinder Morgan is claiming the pipeline is needed to reduce energy prices, pipeline opponents are predicting
large reductions in gas prices this winter. Future prices listed at barchart.com show Algonquin city gate (Boston area) natural
gas futures for January holding just above $9, when last August they were approaching $17.
At the opposite end of the Lynnfield Lateral, Wayne Castonguay of the Ipswich River Water Association stated, The proposed
Lynnfield lateral crosses and parallels the Ipswich River for over 11 miles -- and will have devastating impacts on the Rivers
health. 350,000 people and businesses depend on it for their daily drinking water supply. With alternative routes from Dracut to
Danvers already in place, it is unconscionable to allow this environmentally devastating lateral.
John Hess, of Andover Pipeline awareness, stated, "It is important that the DPU pay attention to the criticism by the attorney
general. The DPU should not allow multiple pipeline proposals to be considered separately from one another. If all of these are
approved than it would leave our towns and all ratepayers with far higher costs than if we plan ahead. The DPU should not
promote more infrastructure on top of what has already been permitted. The need, if it exists, is only on 10 to 20 days a year and
there are better ways.
The Energy Facilities Siting Board is largely controlled by the Governor of Massachusetts, who appoints new members upon
taking office. Pipeline opponents were surprised to hear that one of his recent appointees has funded lobbying and advocacy in
support of both the larger Kinder Morgan and Spectra Energy pipeline projects which are proposed to be built by 2018.