Protest Approval for Spectra Pipeline, Docket #CP16-9-000
Kimberly Bose, Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street NE, Room 1 Washington, DC 20426
Spectra Energy should not be permitted to begin construction on the 2nd part of its Algonquin Pipeline expansion called Atlantic Bridge because it does not have all of its necessary permits in place.
Sponsored by
To:
Kimberly Bose, Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street NE, Room 1 Washington, DC 20426
From:
[Your Name]
We urge FERC to rescind the approval for pre-construction activities granted to Algonquin Gas Transmission on September 25, 2017.
We are writing to remind FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who facilitates the approval of interstate fracked gas infrastructure projects, that as of the date approval was granted, September 25, 2017, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management had not completed its review. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection had not issued necessary water permits. In August the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management notified FERC that they require an additional six months to conduct their review, as they await water permits from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. As of today, these permits remain outstanding.
Condition 9 of the Certificate requires an applicant to submit proof of receipt of all federal authorizations prior to being able to commence construction. Here, not all of the federal permits have been issued. The Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Agency will not review the project until February 2018, and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has not issued a Chapter 91 Waterways license. The Weymouth Conservation Commission denied a wetlands permit, which was appealed to MassDEP, where the matter is currently stayed, and, in a further complication, the Town of Weymouth is suing Spectra and the company that sold the land to Spectra, Calpine, because the sale apparently involved illegally subdividing the land.
FERC has, in the past, given approval for pre-construction activities for a pipeline that subsequently failed to receive the necessary permits. Most notably, for the loss of livelihood it resulted in for land owners, in early 2016 the Constitution Pipeline Company was granted notice to proceed in Pennsylvania where it cleared maple trees from the Holleran Farm. Subsequently, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation denied the company’s application for a 401 Water Quality Permit.
Therefore, we urge FERC to rescind the approval for pre-construction activities granted to Algonquin Gas Transmission on September 25, 2017.