On August 20, Congresswoman Annie Kuster toured sites in four Hillsborough County towns that could potentially be impacted by the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline proposed by the Kinder Morgan energy company. Kuster has long fought for an open and transparent review process by the Federal Energy Regulatory Council (FERC), which will make the ultimate decision on whether the pipeline will move forward.

“Since this project was first proposed, I’ve urged Kinder Morgan and FERC to involve local communities in their planning and decision-making process, and during today’s tour, I heard from local town officials and planners about their thoughts and concerns regarding the project,” said Congresswoman Annie Kuster. “I share their concerns, and seeing these sites firsthand and communicating directly with local officials allows me to amplify the voices of my constituents who will be impacted by this project, as well as relay their questions to FERC and Kinder Morgan as they move forward. First and foremost, I will continue to urge FERC to ensure that the voices of the constituents are heard before any final decisions are made.”

During her tour, Congresswoman Kuster visited locations in Mason, Temple, New Ipswich and Amherst that would potentially be impacted by the proposed pipeline. First, she toured the Fifield Conservation lands in Mason with Selectman Charlie Moser and members of the town Conservation Commission.  Then she met with Gail Cromwell, a Temple Selectman, and members of the New Ipswich Pipeline Task Force at the Temple Elementary School, and went on to visit the New Ipswich reservoir, the site of a proposed compressor station in New Ipswich, and a Catholic Retreat Center adjacent to the station site.  Finally, the Congresswoman joined Amherst Selectman Dwight Brew and John D’Angelo and members of the Amherst Pipeline Task Force and the town Conservation Commission as they toured Ponemah Bog and the Scott Conservation property, among other locations. 

Along with the other members of New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation, Kuster has a long history of calling on both FERC and Kinder Morgan to include impacted communities in the planning and approval process of the pipeline. Although FERC will ultimately have the final say on whether the pipeline moves forward, the Congresswoman is continuing to relay the thoughts of her constituents to the agency, and she shares their concerns regarding the possible disruption to local communities and potential environmental impact. To ensure that constituents’ voices are heard, the Congresswoman is urging FERC to schedule the Cheshire County scoping meeting for late September and for the preliminary comment deadline to be delayed. Congresswoman Kuster strongly believes we must pursue smart energy policies that make sense for New Hampshire, and she is continuing to push both FERC and Kinder Morgan to ensure this project will adequately benefit the Granite State without harming local communities or the environment.

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