WILMINGTON, MA — At their meeting on Monday night, the Wilmington Board of Selectmen received some good news from Town Manager Jeff Hull.
“As you may have heard through news media accounts, Kinder Morgan recently announced their intention to indefinitely suspend the application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to construct a natural gas pipeline known as the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline,” said Hull. “The pipeline was planned to extend from Pennsylvania through New York into New England and to Canada, with the Lynnfield Lateral extending from Dracut through Wilmington and continuing easterly into the Lynnfield/Peabody area.”
“While this is very good news for Wilmington, the fact that Kinder Morgan’s application is being suspended and NOT withdrawn should be viewed with cautious optimism,” continued Hull. “The Town will continue to monitor the status of their FERC filing and be paired to defend the Town’s interest in the event the filing is re-activated.”
“This is a testament of what grassroots organizations can accomplish when they put their heads together,” observed Selectmen Chair Mike Champoux. “A number of organizations and towns assembled, organized and articulated their opposition to what Kinder Morgan was proposing…. I think it’s likely to presume Kinder Morgan’s decision is due, in large part, to the pressure they received from municipalities and elected officials, all the way up to Washington, DC.”
“I view this as a tremendous win for not just Wilmington, but all of Massachusetts,” continued Champoux. “This will afford the Commonwealth and the region the opportunity to more aggressively pursue other avenues of renewable energies, such as solar and wind.”
Champoux also thanked Town Engineer Paul Alunni for following the process so closely and keeping the board well-informed.
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