Information Session Set on Natural Gas Pipeline

CUMMINGTON, Mass. — A citizens' group concerned with a possible natural gas line running through the Berkshires and north through Hampshire and Franklin counties is holding an informational presentation from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, at the Cummington Community House at 33 Main St.

The Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of Texas-based drilling company Kinder Morgan, is in the investigative stages of planning a 30-inch, high-pressure gas transmission line dubbed the "Northeast Expansion," according to www.nofrackedgasinmass.org. This project would connect to New York state pipeline hubs to bring fracked gas from the Gulf and Marcellus shale regions to the large hub in Dracut, north of Boston.

Officials in Lenox and Richmond already have been approached about the project, and several other Berkshire municipalities, including Dalton and Pittsfield, are likely to be along the proposed route.

At the presentation, Bruce Winn from Berkshire Environmental Action Team will discuss the basics of fracking, the proposed pipeline route, the nature of the pipeline and its contents, environmental and health issues, economic and regulatory issues, and issues of permitting and eminent domain. Question and answer time will follow, along with a discussion about the rights of citizens to have a say in the pipeline approval process, what alternatives can help bring more energy to our region instead and the role we all can play.

The presentation is free. More information on the pipeline and its impact on the region may be found online at www.nofrackedgasinmass.org.

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