On Wednesday, March 25, over 50 people gathered at the Russell Library in Middletown, CT for a community forum on the proposed methane gas pipeline that Eversource wants to build under the Connecticut River. The forum was put together by Sierra Club Connecticut, the No Pipeline Expansion Northeast Coalition, and Sunrise Movement Wesleyan.

 

 

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Eversource has proposed to build a new methane gas pipeline under the Connecticut River, impacting state parks in Middletown, East Hampton, and Higganum. The forum included information and resources about the proposed pipeline and its impacts on our health, climate, local environment, and utility bills. 

 

At the beginning of the forum, attendees participated in a moment of reflection on what the river meant to them. Responses highlighted the diverse reasons that people love the Connecticut River:

 

“I remember going to Haddam Meadows as a kid, digging in the clay and walking out to the sandbar, watching the birds, and running from the bees. That privilege of a green and open space should endure for future kids to swim and run and enjoy nature.”

 

 

 

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Throughout the forum, we highlighted our concerns about the impact of expanding methane gas infrastructure, which has dangerous respiratory and cardiovascular health impacts. This pipeline, which would be installed under the river via horizontal directional drilling, also poses a significant threat to the local ecosystem. Additionally, while Connecticut has strong greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, if expansion projects like this one move forward, we will not be able to meet our emissions targets. 

 

Finally, methane gas expansion is deeply intertwined with our utility bills. Connecticut has some of the highest electricity bills in the nation and when it comes to energy use, consumers spend more on pipeline and delivery charges than gas. 

 

At the end of the forum, community members joined together to take action. Together, we emailed the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to share our deep concern over this project and tell them to stop the project. Join us in taking action here or attend our upcoming Connecticut River Pipeline Walk on Saturday, April 11 at 1 p.m.

 

Sena Wazer is Sierra Club Connecticut Chapter Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator.