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Fracked Gas Pipeline Draws Crowd to Guilford Forum

About 50 concerned citizens attended a forum to discuss plans to run a fracked gas pipeline through towns in Connecticut, including Guilford. The Nov. 11 forum, called the Fracked Gas Pipeline Educational Forum, was held at the Guilford public library and hosted by the Shoreline Group of the Connecticut Sierra Club.

Sierra Club members said there is concern and confusion in town as to the significance of the upgrade to the meter and regulating station in the town. That construction is part of the state- and region-wide expansion of the Spectra-owned Algonquin gas pipeline, which is being expanded in order to transport fracked gas to the coast for export.

Fracked gas is natural gas obtained by using high-pressure water to crack rock formations deep underground, creating fissures through which gas can then flow. Proponents of fracked gas say it is a safe source of affordable, domestically produced clean energy. Opponents say the process creates potentially toxic and radioactive waste, and that it creates a host of other environmental problems.

There were three speakers: Martha Klein, communications chair of the Connecticut Sierra Club, spoke about the state energy policy and the expansion of shale gas infrastructure; Jen Siskind, a local coordinator with Food and Water Watch, gave a PowerPoint presentation on the connection between fracking in the Marcellus Shale and expanded gas transport pipelines in Connecticut; and Ben Martin, organizer with 350CT, spoke about the dangers of gas infrastructure and the feasibility of renewable energy. The audience was invited to participate in gathering signatures for a petition for a proposed town resolution against shale gas infrastructure expansion and against fracking waste.

State officials and legislators are considering a variety of proposals and bills relating to whether Connecticut should allow for the treatment or storage of fracking waste in the state. Disposal of fracking waste is “very controversial and risky,” Klein said.

The Sierra Club, 350CT, Hartford Action, Activate CT, People’s Action for Clean Energy, Food and Water Watch, and several other faith, justice, and environmental organizations are holding a rally on Saturday, Nov. 21 at noon at the State Capitol to rally for 100 percent renewable energy.