Keeping Polluting Gas Pipelines Out of New England
Kinder Morgan wanted to build a massive new natural gas pipeline through New England. But building such a huge pipeline to carry dirty fossil fuel was a bad deal for our families, our communities, our economy, and our climate.
CLF in Action
CLF fought to block this ill-advised and unnecessary pipeline from tearing through New England. We worked at the state levels in Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire to stop unprecedented proposals that would have put electricity customers on the hook for the $6 billion cost of this massive pipeline. We also intervened in the federal process to oppose this boondoggle.
In the face of CLF’s legal advocacy, strong on-the-ground opposition from local communities, and shifting economics in the gas market, Kinder Morgan gave up on its New England pipeline dreams in April 2016.
This victory is a clear signal that fossil fuels are a bad investment for our economy and our environment. But CLF’s work isn’t done yet, because Big Gas and Oil are still scrambling to keep us tied down to fossil fuels every day.
What’s Next
New England has made its voice clear: We want clean energy, and we want it now. However, the fossil fuel industry insists on keeping us tied down to fuels that pollute our air, earth, and climate. Even worse, our regional grid operator, ISO-New England, amplifies industry rhetoric by creating panic surrounding fuel shortages they claim can only be solved with more natural gas. And ISO’s energy markets, which determine how and what kind of energy gets bought and sold, artificially inflate the price of clean energy – making it harder for it to compete against climate-damaging fuels.
At a time when New England is moving full steam ahead towards our clean energy future, major costly investments in new fossil fuel infrastructure are the wrong direction to take for our economy and our climate. Indeed, as the region works to stem more damage to our climate, any further investments in fossil fuels would quickly become an albatross – falling into disuse as home-grown clean energy overtakes demand for dirty fuels or blocking critical progress toward cutting climate-warming emissions.
