No one knows the connection between environment, economy and quality of life than farmers. Here is a Declaration of Opposition that farmers can sign, or people who purchase directly from a farm, can sign to speak on behalf of that piece of land. Feel free to print out and circulate. Send signed declarations to Pat Stewart, 18 Kraetzer Road, Ashburnham, MA 01430
There is also a MoveOn.org petition, but this is much more detailed and makes our point more completely. You can see that at http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/declaration-of-opposition?source=c.fwd&r_by=2226308
DECLARATION OF OPPOSITION TO PIPELINE EXPANSION
We, the undersigned, declare our opposition to the expansion of energy infrastructure that transports non-renewable fossil fuels through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We object to this expansion on behalf of the land, food, water and livestock that are endangered by this short-sighted practice. Our objections are based upon the following:
a) Blasts will shatter rock that forms barriers that hold and our aquifers. These aquifers feed our wells, natural ponds and municipal water supplies, which provide water for our animals, crops, families and communities.
b) Local food is a critical part of growing a health Massachusetts and local economy. Pipelines crossing our farms, neighboring farms and bounding wetlands endanger our ability to provide food for the citizenry of the Commonwealth.
c) The construction of these pipelines will remove significant land from production, not only the pipeline proper, but also the access roads that will allow heavy equipment onto the pipeline the heavy equipment entering on the rights-of-way will compact our soil, making it more subject to erosion, and more difficult to grow crops and use for pasture. We will still be responsible for payment of taxes on this land, whether or not we can use it.
1.) The inability to use this land for food or timber production takes it out of production, removing it from Chapter 61 protection.
2.) For those of us with Agriculture Preservation Restriction (APR) land, this violates our contract with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, violating M.G.L. Chapter 184, Section 32.The movement of the heavy equipment will damage the air quality and leave residue on plants and could disqualify any organic farms from certification. In addition, the application of herbicide that may be applied, directly or aerially, would certainly endanger any certification, due to wind drift and water runoff.
d) This same heavy equipment emits substantial noise in its activity. These sounds will frighten livestock and wildlife, causing loss of production and increased predation. Animals that are stressed, including by being exposed to constant loud noises, shaking of the earth and looming machinery, do not conceive, do not eat, drop milk production and produce lower quality products, from milk to meat, due to stress hormones. Increased predation will lower the ability of farms to maximize their food and products, and lose valuable livestock to death, as predators are pushed out of their native habitat where they would normally find abundant small wildlife to meet their dietary needs.
e) The herbicides, deforestation and lack of productive land will further deteriorate the region's honeybee population. The toxins will poison, while the lack of pollen from wild and cultivated plants will put added stress on these endangered insect. The financial as well as environmental costs of this disruption would be devastating to the apiculture industry. A threat to the honeybees is a threat to our food production.
f) Locally raised food, whether raised conventionally, sustainably or organically, provides fresher, superior food to that which is trucked in from anywhere else in the world. Our growing small farm population will be impacted severely by this project, as well as our long standing and centennial farms.
g) Keeping local food available makes it more affordable, which benefits all of our population. Fresher food has more vitamins and minerals, stronger flavor, and diminishes the need for preservatives and other chemical additives in a family’s diet. We must keep local farms nearby and productive, and not lose them to a product that does nothing to improve our regional or national environment.
h) The loss of trees cut in timber cuts, or the loss of cropland, will increase erosion, degrading our regional infrastructure, and further degrade natural water ways.
i) Farms not only provide food, but they provide an integral part of our culture, teaching vital traits such as patience, hard-work and empathy. The loss of any of these teaching facilities can have long lasting effects on our regional culture.
Massachusetts is a Right-to-Farm state, recognizing the Constitutional right for individuals to raise their own food and to provide food/fiber to the greater market. Once these farms are lost, they will not be able to be re-established, and the damage to the air, water and soil cannot be repaired.
As there are alternative means to provide the needed energy for the growth of the Commonwealth through such as means as conservation, solar, wind and as yet undeveloped water and other alternative energy sources, there is no need to take the risk of permanently damaging the food supply and lifestyle of the farmers and farm communities in Massachusetts.
We therefore respectfully demand that all governmental entities deny any permission to proceed with fossil fuel expansion, and begin to plan for the future with the farms, land and the people in mind, rather than short term gains for others.
Thank you!
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Vote for the Environment
Growing up I never really thought much about how politics and the environment intersected. I knew that my passion for the environment was never even considered by most politicians, and that those who did “get it,” were scoffed at for being “Tree Huggers.” To me that was a badge of honor, because I have hugged more than my fair share of trees in teaching kids to use other senses than their vision.
Now that I’m older I see a connection that I was oblivious to before. It is in corporate interest to keep people distracted with fancy watches and clothing so the public doesn’t think about where those items are made, what’s done with the leftovers, the packaging and the broken item. It’s also been in their best interest to make sure that the people who vote see the pretty package, appreciate the convenience and money, and don’t want to be given a “downer,” by thinking about the consequences.
This coming election it’s crucial that we engage ourselves, neighbors and family, along with any others we can, to use the power of the vote to protect our home planet. It’s not only about having a chance to contribute. Now it’s about self-preservation. Citizens who can vote need to engage in conversations with their elected officials, explaining their concerns about the pipeline, alternative energy, food safety, and climate change. Not voting doesn’t show your frustration, or your disapproval. It just shows you don’t care. Not voting amplifies the voices of the corporations, as their purchased candidate doesn’t have to explain their stance to a face. They can continue to spout the misinformation that they hear because they have been saved from that face to face confrontation.
In the upcoming election we will hear a lot about the economy, which we’ve all been condition to consider as paramount. Being poor is not pleasant, I know, I’m basically still there. But having no air to breathe, no water to drink, is a death sentence, with no hope of climbing out of that well. Environmental justice is usually considered to be about the urban poor, dumping chemicals in low rent areas, because “those people,” of no concern to any of the corporate officials. Efforts are constantly made to lessen the voices of those people who live in these areas, so that “out of sight, out of voice means doesn’t exist.”
They do exist, and because of the concentration of wealth, the consumerism of our economy and the consolidation of our media, the numbers of “unheard,” is growing. Everyone has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, according to our founding fathers. It doesn’t state “those who live off dividends, play at country clubs and support the arts are entitled to happiness.” But that is how our government is starting to skew.
Environmental justice is everyone’s concern. Through television and other media forms, rural areas are now being portrayed as backwater, “hinterlands,” where only un-educated, socially awkward people live. A rural suburb is fine, but a true rural area is disposable. That’s been made obvious by Kinder-Morgan’s choice in this NED pipeline route. The public comment made at an earlier meeting referring to our region is “North Korea,” is an obvious statement as to their concern for the people here.
We need to exercise our voices. We need to make sure that future elected officials firmly state that they hear our concerns and will act on them in an appropriate way. Moving the pipeline isn’t the answer. Not having the pipeline is. Our elected officials should owe their positions and power to the people who voted to put them there, not the lobbyists and corporate backers who paid for them to be there. Call your representatives, attorney general, senator, even town officials and tell them that our region is not inconsequential. Remind them that environmental justice is critical; rich isn’t more important that poor, urban is not more important than rural.
The older I get the more I see that agriculture, food and the environment are forgotten when making decisions. We let people tell us that air, water and food are not as important as jobs, and money, when reality is that jobs and money can be sourced elsewhere, but we can’t make clean air, clean water or safe food if we lose the areas that protect and produce it.
We don’t just need to get people to vote with their environment. We need to wake up the citizenry to vote, and make their opinions known to those who are elected. People need to relearn how to work together, how to protect and promote the resources we have to provide for our families. I’ve come to believe that there is a direct correlation between voter turn out and corporate domination. The more self-involved we become as a population, the richer the 1% gets, and the more our resources, both financial and natural, are lost to our control. Vote for the environment, and vote for your own self-interest!
Now that I’m older I see a connection that I was oblivious to before. It is in corporate interest to keep people distracted with fancy watches and clothing so the public doesn’t think about where those items are made, what’s done with the leftovers, the packaging and the broken item. It’s also been in their best interest to make sure that the people who vote see the pretty package, appreciate the convenience and money, and don’t want to be given a “downer,” by thinking about the consequences.
This coming election it’s crucial that we engage ourselves, neighbors and family, along with any others we can, to use the power of the vote to protect our home planet. It’s not only about having a chance to contribute. Now it’s about self-preservation. Citizens who can vote need to engage in conversations with their elected officials, explaining their concerns about the pipeline, alternative energy, food safety, and climate change. Not voting doesn’t show your frustration, or your disapproval. It just shows you don’t care. Not voting amplifies the voices of the corporations, as their purchased candidate doesn’t have to explain their stance to a face. They can continue to spout the misinformation that they hear because they have been saved from that face to face confrontation.
In the upcoming election we will hear a lot about the economy, which we’ve all been condition to consider as paramount. Being poor is not pleasant, I know, I’m basically still there. But having no air to breathe, no water to drink, is a death sentence, with no hope of climbing out of that well. Environmental justice is usually considered to be about the urban poor, dumping chemicals in low rent areas, because “those people,” of no concern to any of the corporate officials. Efforts are constantly made to lessen the voices of those people who live in these areas, so that “out of sight, out of voice means doesn’t exist.”
They do exist, and because of the concentration of wealth, the consumerism of our economy and the consolidation of our media, the numbers of “unheard,” is growing. Everyone has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, according to our founding fathers. It doesn’t state “those who live off dividends, play at country clubs and support the arts are entitled to happiness.” But that is how our government is starting to skew.
Environmental justice is everyone’s concern. Through television and other media forms, rural areas are now being portrayed as backwater, “hinterlands,” where only un-educated, socially awkward people live. A rural suburb is fine, but a true rural area is disposable. That’s been made obvious by Kinder-Morgan’s choice in this NED pipeline route. The public comment made at an earlier meeting referring to our region is “North Korea,” is an obvious statement as to their concern for the people here.
We need to exercise our voices. We need to make sure that future elected officials firmly state that they hear our concerns and will act on them in an appropriate way. Moving the pipeline isn’t the answer. Not having the pipeline is. Our elected officials should owe their positions and power to the people who voted to put them there, not the lobbyists and corporate backers who paid for them to be there. Call your representatives, attorney general, senator, even town officials and tell them that our region is not inconsequential. Remind them that environmental justice is critical; rich isn’t more important that poor, urban is not more important than rural.
The older I get the more I see that agriculture, food and the environment are forgotten when making decisions. We let people tell us that air, water and food are not as important as jobs, and money, when reality is that jobs and money can be sourced elsewhere, but we can’t make clean air, clean water or safe food if we lose the areas that protect and produce it.
We don’t just need to get people to vote with their environment. We need to wake up the citizenry to vote, and make their opinions known to those who are elected. People need to relearn how to work together, how to protect and promote the resources we have to provide for our families. I’ve come to believe that there is a direct correlation between voter turn out and corporate domination. The more self-involved we become as a population, the richer the 1% gets, and the more our resources, both financial and natural, are lost to our control. Vote for the environment, and vote for your own self-interest!
Friday, September 5, 2014
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!
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!
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Goats and Gas, Kind Of
I learned today about a new blog, NPR’s “Goats and Soda,” which gives details about growing health emergencies in emerging countries. I love the name, partly because I raise goats. But also, I love the image that it conjures in my head – choices. Goats symbolize existence – able to find food where others can’t; able to carry a load, or give a kiss when it’s needed; willing to share their milk so a friend can survive, and able to provide food to a human friend if that is what it costs. That is a truly noble animal.
Then there’s soda. I must confess here that I was basically raised on soda. It was, and still is, my preferred drink, only because I am so addicted to the caffeine. Even my doctor has said “Just try to cut back, the headache isn’t worth the benefits.” But I know that’s frivolous. I hate that Coca-Cola owns more water in Africa than any public water district there. I know that the sugar or other sweeteners are disguises for the acids, preservatives and other evil things in that potion. I know that the Coke that I used to love to drink I once used to remove rust from an old tricycle.
How does this relate to our Blasted Towns? Because so many of our neighbor are focused on the “coke,” of energy – the pipeline that promises jobs, like those sodas that lace their preservatives with a little juice. Those people who think ‘new’ is better than ‘tried and true.’ Because people will believe the advertising tripe about “bridge fuels,” and “cleaner,” over the basic truth. That truth is that calories count, whether they are sugar or mega=calories from megawatts. We have it in our power to live comfortably with existing technology, reasonable conservation methods and corporate responsibility.
Keeping warm is crucial to survival, but so is breathing, drinking safe water, and having healthy food to eat. Local farms, like those with goats, are cleaner sources for food from a carbon efficiency standpoint. In New England, they are less likely to be heavily treated with industrial chemicals because the scale of our farms is much smaller than in other parts of the country. More of our farms are sustainable, much like the goat, which yields tastier, safer, accessible food that will disappear if we have this pipeline come through our towns. Isn’t it better to have the source of our energy/food nearby, like the sun, wind, wood, local farms than to have to rely on someone to process it, transport it, and then pump it right past us on the way to another country? That’s like being passed up by the waitress while you wait at the bar for that soda.
Really? No one is perfect, and each of us has our vices. But those vices should only affect us individually, not our neighbors, or our descendants. My habit hopefully is counteracted by the good that I try to do with my goats, my work, this blog. If we are going to stop this pipeline we have to show people that they lose choices, personal power, quality of life, as well as potential water and food quality, if they allow this pipeline to come through. Is it really “for the greater good,” to give someone else the power to alter our survival resources? How is it for the “greater good,” if we receive none of the benefits, but lose many of our inherent rights to a healthy environment by allowing this pipeline to come through?
“Goats and Soda,” is a great dichotomy to make people think about survival. “Safety or Gas,” isn’t as catchy, but it comes down to the similar issues. We need to fight for our own water, food, air, and communities, and illustrate to those who only care about their ‘cheap energy,’ that it isn’t cheap, it won’t be “theirs,” and they will suffer the consequences in other ways. We can be the “herd queen,” that leads the herd to safety, or we can be the “bellwether,” that tells the predators where the sacrificial kids are. Which do you want to be?
Then there’s soda. I must confess here that I was basically raised on soda. It was, and still is, my preferred drink, only because I am so addicted to the caffeine. Even my doctor has said “Just try to cut back, the headache isn’t worth the benefits.” But I know that’s frivolous. I hate that Coca-Cola owns more water in Africa than any public water district there. I know that the sugar or other sweeteners are disguises for the acids, preservatives and other evil things in that potion. I know that the Coke that I used to love to drink I once used to remove rust from an old tricycle.
How does this relate to our Blasted Towns? Because so many of our neighbor are focused on the “coke,” of energy – the pipeline that promises jobs, like those sodas that lace their preservatives with a little juice. Those people who think ‘new’ is better than ‘tried and true.’ Because people will believe the advertising tripe about “bridge fuels,” and “cleaner,” over the basic truth. That truth is that calories count, whether they are sugar or mega=calories from megawatts. We have it in our power to live comfortably with existing technology, reasonable conservation methods and corporate responsibility.
Keeping warm is crucial to survival, but so is breathing, drinking safe water, and having healthy food to eat. Local farms, like those with goats, are cleaner sources for food from a carbon efficiency standpoint. In New England, they are less likely to be heavily treated with industrial chemicals because the scale of our farms is much smaller than in other parts of the country. More of our farms are sustainable, much like the goat, which yields tastier, safer, accessible food that will disappear if we have this pipeline come through our towns. Isn’t it better to have the source of our energy/food nearby, like the sun, wind, wood, local farms than to have to rely on someone to process it, transport it, and then pump it right past us on the way to another country? That’s like being passed up by the waitress while you wait at the bar for that soda.
Really? No one is perfect, and each of us has our vices. But those vices should only affect us individually, not our neighbors, or our descendants. My habit hopefully is counteracted by the good that I try to do with my goats, my work, this blog. If we are going to stop this pipeline we have to show people that they lose choices, personal power, quality of life, as well as potential water and food quality, if they allow this pipeline to come through. Is it really “for the greater good,” to give someone else the power to alter our survival resources? How is it for the “greater good,” if we receive none of the benefits, but lose many of our inherent rights to a healthy environment by allowing this pipeline to come through?
“Goats and Soda,” is a great dichotomy to make people think about survival. “Safety or Gas,” isn’t as catchy, but it comes down to the similar issues. We need to fight for our own water, food, air, and communities, and illustrate to those who only care about their ‘cheap energy,’ that it isn’t cheap, it won’t be “theirs,” and they will suffer the consequences in other ways. We can be the “herd queen,” that leads the herd to safety, or we can be the “bellwether,” that tells the predators where the sacrificial kids are. Which do you want to be?
Monday, August 18, 2014
Think for Yourself! Then Find Those Who Can Teach You!
As our nation experiences weather like we’ve not seen in recorded history, tremors and sinkholes are popping everywhere, and mysterious holes appear in the middle of Siberia, it must surely be the time to hold on to that knowledge which gives us security and confidence.
But what is that knowledge? Is it the knowledge that gas gives power and money, and for most of us it comes out of a pipe, not the ground, so we are cut off from “cause and effect?” Is it that money is voice and voice is protected by the Supreme Court, even if that one voice drowns out the effects of millions of other voices? After all, that voice is speaking for what you believe in. You can’t even understand the drivel from those other voices.
Is knowledge defined by fancy colorful graphs placed behind pretty people, explaining how gas in a “clean fuel?” Or is defined by the scientists who have been studying the climate and the causes of climate shift, usually for less money than any corporate executive makes? After all,money talks right. People don’t actually DO THINGS because they feel they are the right thing to do .
Or is the knowledge you learned in kindergarten, “The roots go down and then the plant grows up?” The simple idea that plants grow based upon what they consume, and since we eat those plants, we will ultimately eat that same energy. What does it tell you that the plants can’t grow in places where the water table has been disrupted, or even worse, blown up? What will you eat while you’re toasty warm in your fancy house, if the Midwest is full of fracking wells destroying those very plants that provide our national food supply?
But wait, let’s not over-react. After all this pipeline coming through New England isn’t BEING fracked, is it? No, it’s not, but it will carry the fruits of that destruction. It will leak that toxic methane that Mother Earth has sequestered underground, not for “until later,” but “for safe keeping.” If you’re God believing person, like I am, you certainly expect that He knew what he was doing when he put toxins away from our reach. We’re not talking about the Midwest, we’re talking about New England, the land that grows rocks instead of grains for the most part. “Hard as a rock,” doesn’t mean it’s not impermeable, just that it will shatter at some point, not necessarily in a predictable fashion. The blasting that will happen here may be as destructive to our water supply as the initial drilling that happens during fracking. We won’t be experiencing the forcing of polluted water into our water supply, but eventually, who says they won’t try? Once they are allowed into an area they can expand without much trouble, because the legal precedent has been set.
It’s time to listen to our hearts, not our pockets. It’s time to think for ourselves, do the research, talk to informed people, and stop swallowing the pablum that is overly simplified on commercials and laced with “cheaper for the consumer,” spices. Is it cheaper when we can’t drink our water? Is it cheaper when our health bills climb because of illness, or our utility bills climb because there are no other options and they control the supply ? Is it cheaper when the planet isn’t liveable, but you’ve had a comfy home for a generation? Too bad for those grandkids.
Turn on your brains! Listen to the voices that speak from the heart, not the pocket. Ask questions, and then make sure you get answers. If you don’t, assume that the real answer is too uncomfortable for that person to say. Our media is controlled by those who can pay their advertising rates. Those same people have as much cash as they need to reach our politicians. The only way to be heard above the din of self-interest is to BAND together to demand answers, and ACTIONS. Once our water is gone, it’s gone. Once our planet is beyond saving, where else do we go? I like it right here, in my Blasted Town. What do you think?
But what is that knowledge? Is it the knowledge that gas gives power and money, and for most of us it comes out of a pipe, not the ground, so we are cut off from “cause and effect?” Is it that money is voice and voice is protected by the Supreme Court, even if that one voice drowns out the effects of millions of other voices? After all, that voice is speaking for what you believe in. You can’t even understand the drivel from those other voices.
Is knowledge defined by fancy colorful graphs placed behind pretty people, explaining how gas in a “clean fuel?” Or is defined by the scientists who have been studying the climate and the causes of climate shift, usually for less money than any corporate executive makes? After all,money talks right. People don’t actually DO THINGS because they feel they are the right thing to do .
Or is the knowledge you learned in kindergarten, “The roots go down and then the plant grows up?” The simple idea that plants grow based upon what they consume, and since we eat those plants, we will ultimately eat that same energy. What does it tell you that the plants can’t grow in places where the water table has been disrupted, or even worse, blown up? What will you eat while you’re toasty warm in your fancy house, if the Midwest is full of fracking wells destroying those very plants that provide our national food supply?
But wait, let’s not over-react. After all this pipeline coming through New England isn’t BEING fracked, is it? No, it’s not, but it will carry the fruits of that destruction. It will leak that toxic methane that Mother Earth has sequestered underground, not for “until later,” but “for safe keeping.” If you’re God believing person, like I am, you certainly expect that He knew what he was doing when he put toxins away from our reach. We’re not talking about the Midwest, we’re talking about New England, the land that grows rocks instead of grains for the most part. “Hard as a rock,” doesn’t mean it’s not impermeable, just that it will shatter at some point, not necessarily in a predictable fashion. The blasting that will happen here may be as destructive to our water supply as the initial drilling that happens during fracking. We won’t be experiencing the forcing of polluted water into our water supply, but eventually, who says they won’t try? Once they are allowed into an area they can expand without much trouble, because the legal precedent has been set.
It’s time to listen to our hearts, not our pockets. It’s time to think for ourselves, do the research, talk to informed people, and stop swallowing the pablum that is overly simplified on commercials and laced with “cheaper for the consumer,” spices. Is it cheaper when we can’t drink our water? Is it cheaper when our health bills climb because of illness, or our utility bills climb because there are no other options and they control the supply ? Is it cheaper when the planet isn’t liveable, but you’ve had a comfy home for a generation? Too bad for those grandkids.
Turn on your brains! Listen to the voices that speak from the heart, not the pocket. Ask questions, and then make sure you get answers. If you don’t, assume that the real answer is too uncomfortable for that person to say. Our media is controlled by those who can pay their advertising rates. Those same people have as much cash as they need to reach our politicians. The only way to be heard above the din of self-interest is to BAND together to demand answers, and ACTIONS. Once our water is gone, it’s gone. Once our planet is beyond saving, where else do we go? I like it right here, in my Blasted Town. What do you think?
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Comment on the proposed gas Kinder Morgan Pipeline
By Walt Cudnohufsky 8.13.14
Gas is neither a bridge fuel nor a cleaner fuel! It contributes at least equally, with other dirty
fuels, to our accelerating climate problem. Substantial methane, freed by gas drilling and
transport, has recently been calculated as sixty eight times more impactful and longer lasting
than co2. Clean and green is thus a myth!
By allowing the proposed Tennessee (Kinder Morgan) gas pipeline, even if against our will,
we are enabling destructive fracking and more pollution that any life time of conscious living
could ever mitigate. By voting no, this proposed pipeline gives us an opportunity, possibly the
single largest in our lives, to make a discernable difference on climate change and reducing
environmental impact.
It is my widely shared opinion that FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) is little more
than a rubber stamp for the oil and gas industry and our all too corrupt government. FERC will
almost assuredly find a “public need/necessity” where none exists.
It is critical to notice, even if you are now just learning of this pipeline proposal, that it is not
early in the planning process! On the contrary it is very late and near the end of that process.
As a land planner with some experience with transmission routing and road alignment, I have
come to know the four major stages of planning and design for such networks.
(1) Corridors several corridors would normally be reviewed--each multiple miles wide. Then
(2) Routes which can be up to one or two miles wide and within a selected corridor.
(3)Alignment the more specific path within the route and finally
(4) Design the technical specification for construction.
Kinder Morgan are assuredly in the fourth and final design stage for this pipeline, no matter
what they pontificate.
Sophisticated environmental data for the first three stages is readily accessible to the
corporations without going on the land. The important thing to note is there is only minimal
flexibility in their plans at this late fourth stage and with a favorably inclined FERC (they
know already of their favored odds of achieving approval) what we say and think is severely
discounted if ever it had value.
I submit that the cumulative effect of impacts of the pipeline, must be assessed for the entire
pipeline even if in multiple states and tabulated and reviewed cumulatively by state and at the
federal level.
The impact studies must also include any lateral distribution pipes (mentioned in their
presentations) which could rival the proposed direct pipe line in aggregated length and
impact. The laterals are likely to be equally impactful and damaging because of certainty to
be in populated areas. If Kinder Morgan claims there are no laterals planned or designed,
it is assured that the huge proposed volume of gas is destined to be shipped off shore. The
container ships and LNG stations are on order, being planned and constructed as we ponder
this pipeline.
The environmental impacts of fracking in addition to the pipeline itself (PA, NY, elsewhere)
must also be a simultaneous part of an environmental and cultural impact assessments.
Incremental review of any part of this fracking-pipeline system is severely deficient. There
are ample town, state and federal regulations that support and require this cumulative and
aggregated environmental review.
There is currently encouraging momentum in the mounting resistance across the affected
Towns in Massachusetts. By use and electricity rate increases, everyone in the State is involved
not just the directly affected communities.
My conclusion: If ever you were to speak up and take action, now is that time! Support your
neighbors and fellow citizens and all the Massachusetts and New York communities certain to
be harshly impacted. See http://www.nofrackedgasinmass.org/
By Walt Cudnohufsky 8.13.14
Gas is neither a bridge fuel nor a cleaner fuel! It contributes at least equally, with other dirty
fuels, to our accelerating climate problem. Substantial methane, freed by gas drilling and
transport, has recently been calculated as sixty eight times more impactful and longer lasting
than co2. Clean and green is thus a myth!
By allowing the proposed Tennessee (Kinder Morgan) gas pipeline, even if against our will,
we are enabling destructive fracking and more pollution that any life time of conscious living
could ever mitigate. By voting no, this proposed pipeline gives us an opportunity, possibly the
single largest in our lives, to make a discernable difference on climate change and reducing
environmental impact.
It is my widely shared opinion that FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) is little more
than a rubber stamp for the oil and gas industry and our all too corrupt government. FERC will
almost assuredly find a “public need/necessity” where none exists.
It is critical to notice, even if you are now just learning of this pipeline proposal, that it is not
early in the planning process! On the contrary it is very late and near the end of that process.
As a land planner with some experience with transmission routing and road alignment, I have
come to know the four major stages of planning and design for such networks.
(1) Corridors several corridors would normally be reviewed--each multiple miles wide. Then
(2) Routes which can be up to one or two miles wide and within a selected corridor.
(3)Alignment the more specific path within the route and finally
(4) Design the technical specification for construction.
Kinder Morgan are assuredly in the fourth and final design stage for this pipeline, no matter
what they pontificate.
Sophisticated environmental data for the first three stages is readily accessible to the
corporations without going on the land. The important thing to note is there is only minimal
flexibility in their plans at this late fourth stage and with a favorably inclined FERC (they
know already of their favored odds of achieving approval) what we say and think is severely
discounted if ever it had value.
I submit that the cumulative effect of impacts of the pipeline, must be assessed for the entire
pipeline even if in multiple states and tabulated and reviewed cumulatively by state and at the
federal level.
The impact studies must also include any lateral distribution pipes (mentioned in their
presentations) which could rival the proposed direct pipe line in aggregated length and
impact. The laterals are likely to be equally impactful and damaging because of certainty to
be in populated areas. If Kinder Morgan claims there are no laterals planned or designed,
it is assured that the huge proposed volume of gas is destined to be shipped off shore. The
container ships and LNG stations are on order, being planned and constructed as we ponder
this pipeline.
The environmental impacts of fracking in addition to the pipeline itself (PA, NY, elsewhere)
must also be a simultaneous part of an environmental and cultural impact assessments.
Incremental review of any part of this fracking-pipeline system is severely deficient. There
are ample town, state and federal regulations that support and require this cumulative and
aggregated environmental review.
There is currently encouraging momentum in the mounting resistance across the affected
Towns in Massachusetts. By use and electricity rate increases, everyone in the State is involved
not just the directly affected communities.
My conclusion: If ever you were to speak up and take action, now is that time! Support your
neighbors and fellow citizens and all the Massachusetts and New York communities certain to
be harshly impacted. See http://www.nofrackedgasinmass.org/
Friday, July 25, 2014
Making Our Case
Things have been rolling along in the Citizens vs. TPG Pipeline Public Case. For weeks now, young people from all over America have been riding the proposed pipeline routes, giving the Earth a voice through their presence and words.
People all over the Commonwealth, as you can see from the awesome posts from my co-authors, have been speaking for their communities and the resources beneath their feet. Even Boston heard about the pipeline when WGBH actually let Roberta Flashman ask Governor Patrick a question about the pipeline. I didn’t know if they would let a non-Bostonian speak, let alone a person who was going to put the Governor in the corner. But they did! And now, Mr. Governor, if you’d like a reminder of the document you signed, we can make it available to you. Those of us who are working against the Pipeline have really been doing their research, much more than me, I’m afraid.
So now comes the Tyngsboro/Dracut Rally in the Lowell/Dracut State Forest! Thanks to Better Future Project, the folks that brought us the Climate Summer Riders (Thank you! One and All!) there will be a great presence speaking for those towns, and the remainder of “We Blasted Towns.” It looks like solar power really wants to show its stuff, too, as the weather is calling for a glorious days for raised voices and heightened awareness!
Then, next week, scores of people will be at Boston Common for the Big Rally! Let’s make it hundreds, even thousands, on July 30 from 11-1 in front of State House. Let’s remind the government, both state and federal, that they work for voters, not for Kinder Morgan or any other corporation! Those corporations think with their wallets, and they don’t breathe air or drink water. They don’t care about our environment – they don’t live here, or really anywhere!
But the Rally can’t be the end of things. The TPG/Kinder Morgan pipeline project will be a spectre over this region until the time comes when energy comes from sun, wind and water. They will be waiting for people to get complacent, and maybe a little cold, and then they’ll raise those ugly heads of theirs. We need to be vigilant, active and involved!
Natural gas is a “bridge fuel to nowhere.” Like an oil-bearing train, it brings short term gain with long term costs, and a track full of danger along with it. It’s time to Change things up, and make sure that the future is considered, not just tomorrow, but for next year, and beyond.
People all over the Commonwealth, as you can see from the awesome posts from my co-authors, have been speaking for their communities and the resources beneath their feet. Even Boston heard about the pipeline when WGBH actually let Roberta Flashman ask Governor Patrick a question about the pipeline. I didn’t know if they would let a non-Bostonian speak, let alone a person who was going to put the Governor in the corner. But they did! And now, Mr. Governor, if you’d like a reminder of the document you signed, we can make it available to you. Those of us who are working against the Pipeline have really been doing their research, much more than me, I’m afraid.
So now comes the Tyngsboro/Dracut Rally in the Lowell/Dracut State Forest! Thanks to Better Future Project, the folks that brought us the Climate Summer Riders (Thank you! One and All!) there will be a great presence speaking for those towns, and the remainder of “We Blasted Towns.” It looks like solar power really wants to show its stuff, too, as the weather is calling for a glorious days for raised voices and heightened awareness!
Then, next week, scores of people will be at Boston Common for the Big Rally! Let’s make it hundreds, even thousands, on July 30 from 11-1 in front of State House. Let’s remind the government, both state and federal, that they work for voters, not for Kinder Morgan or any other corporation! Those corporations think with their wallets, and they don’t breathe air or drink water. They don’t care about our environment – they don’t live here, or really anywhere!
But the Rally can’t be the end of things. The TPG/Kinder Morgan pipeline project will be a spectre over this region until the time comes when energy comes from sun, wind and water. They will be waiting for people to get complacent, and maybe a little cold, and then they’ll raise those ugly heads of theirs. We need to be vigilant, active and involved!
Natural gas is a “bridge fuel to nowhere.” Like an oil-bearing train, it brings short term gain with long term costs, and a track full of danger along with it. It’s time to Change things up, and make sure that the future is considered, not just tomorrow, but for next year, and beyond.
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