Important Homes

Why are some houses more important than others? I understand that buildings that house many different families have a higher impact when it comes to destruction and personal loss. But in the natural gas planning process certain areas are identified High Consequence Areas, meaning that those areas that have the densest population receive the highest attention, and the greatest protection. That makes sense, but does it mean that other areas should receive inferior protection?

High Consequence Areas, referred to as HCA’s, include areas of dense population, areas that include water supplies and those of unique environmental importance. These areas are deemed “more important,” and are scheduled to receive the highest quality pipes, equipment and attention. But I put to the appropriate authorities, where do they think the water supply comes from?

Reservoirs and water tanks do not usually include underwater springs, though ours in Ashburnham does. For most cities and towns, including the metro-Boston area, their water supply comes from rivers and watersheds many miles away. In fact, for Lowell, the Quabbin Reservoir cities, Wachusett Reservoir towns, and others in New England, the water in their municipal water supplies come from the “rural areas” north and west of Boston. The concept of “crucial water supply,” needs to be more correct than simply a water tower or a reservoir. Our homes, those of the “Blasted Towns,” are just as vital as urban areas, though our density may be sparser.

In the national news we hear repeatedly about how many homes are lost during wildfire seasons, and while these are terribly sad losses, these are people who knew they lived in a place subject to wildfires. I grew up in the Midwest, so I knew that tornadoes were a risk for me. For those who choose to live in the Mississippi River bottom land, they should know that they are living on an active floodplain. That’s why those who farmed there before them usually used the land for crops or livestock, but kept their houses on higher ground. But the current need for “waterfront property,” has gotten in the way of realism. With the current rise in floods and storms, these people are having to make adjustments to include the realities of nature.

But for those of us in the Blasted Towns we built or bought our homes wishing to live in a more rural area. Not because we’re anti-social, but because we appreciate the gifts of the land, and the sense of community that is often found in these smaller towns. We did not buy, or build, with the idea that the land we struggle to grow things in would be blown out from under us, by an energy company who wants to avoid denser population while they raise more millions of dollars selling natural gas overseas.

Why is it okay for a company in Texas to come into another area and destroy the natural resources of those areas, so that they can profit off the natural resources of another place? Isn’t it time we started valuing and using the resources we have nearby our homes and workplaces, instead of trying to move things around to such detriment? Our forefathers chose to settle in certain areas because there was adequate energy, water and food supply, and they carved out shelter where they could. While I’m not suggesting that people in the Midwest go back to sod houses, we do need to start living within the natural rules of the planet.
The truth is that there is no place that is of less or more significant than any other place. No people, no wildlife, no water is dispensable. The Dept. of Transportation explains HAC’s on their website, but the reality of those statements are that they deem some places more disposable than others.

As we are learning more every day, our planet is getting smaller, and more sickly. While the media and others focus on the economy, the reality is that money won’t make more water, won’t grow trees back to filter soil quickly enough, or replace the lost soil in even an elephant’s lifetime. We don’t have time to wait for others to learn. We need everyone to understand now – The water and air belong to the planet, and they should not go to the highest bidder, or densest population. There is enough, with care, to be shared evenly, but not if we continue to let the energy companies continue to write the rules, run the airwaves and be flexible with the truth.

If you hear about a “cleaner fuel” called gas, or natural gas, please realize that it comes from underground, and it is best left there. It is like methadone for a fossil-fuel addicted planet. It doesn’t solve the problem, it just replaces it with another.
No person’s home is more important than any others. No animal or plant is more important than another. It’s time we accept that there are three kingdoms on Earth, and they aren’t found in atlases. They are plants, animals and protists, not Kinder Morgan, BP and Exxon. Stand with your neighbors, of all species, and protect your home by working to stop energy expansion and promote renewable energy, personal conservation and industry responsibility for maintenance. That is within our power, the kind of power that is endless, and renewable!