Residents would like to understand how the need for the pipeline was justified in the first place.
The gas traveling through the proposed pipeline will not benefit Bolton residents, and there is a strong likelihood that a large percentage of it will actually end up in the overseas market.
Consumer energy conservation and fixing the leaks along the existing pipeline would help obviate the need for expansion.
The gas to be transported along the pipeline is derived from fracking, a process that involves using millions of gallons of water—along with “fracking fluid” comprising a combination of up to 600 different chemicals—to force deposits of gas out of underground rock formations. The resulting gas is believed to be more volatile, making the risk of explosions from leaks of greater concern.
Fracking releases a significant amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in all stages of the process, gases believed to play a major role in climate change. Although no fracking will take place in Massachusetts, installation of the pipeline would enable and encourage increased fracking at its source.