EVERSOURCE AND NATIONAL GRID WANT TO BUILD NEW GAS PIPELINES, NEW COMPRESSOR STATIONS  AND OTHER NATURAL GAS INFRASTRUCTURE (“NGI”), AND THEY WANT TO MAKE CONSUMERS PAY BILLIONS FOR IT, WHILE THEY POCKET THE PROFITS.

Consumers for Sensible Energy is fighting for energy policies that make sense for the the people of New England - for our wallets, for our planet and for our health.   

With a broad group of allies, we are fighting to stop the Pipeline Tax in New England - a proposal by big utility companies to force residents to pay billions to build pipelines to transport fracked gas, through pipelines that we don’t need, don’t want and can't afford.

Many experts and advocates, like us, are against additional natural gas and NGI  pipelines for many reasons:

• We don’t need more fracked gas in New England. We already have enough, even on the coldest days.

• We are already overly reliant on gas - it accounts for about 55% of all energy sources in Massachusetts. We need to diversify our fuel mix with more renewables and clean energy. Governor Baker says he wants to diversify our energy sources and WE AGREE. But more natural gas does just the opposite.

• Gas is unhealthy. Recent studies have brought to light that natural gas doesn’t only kill trees, but it is bad for human beings as well, causing illness and death.

• Gas is unsafe. It causes frequent explosions, thousands of emergency calls, flying man-hole covers, and requires massive investments in upkeep.

• Gas leaks are everywhere. 16,000 gas leaks in Massachusetts cities and towns account for an estimated 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the state.

• Fracking is dangerous and causes earthquakes, threatens water suppliers and creates environmental nightmares for those who happen to live in or near the fracking fields.

• Gas prices have been very volatile over the years, with huge, unpredictable price spikes that hurt consumers

• Fracked gas is bad for the environment and sets us back in the fight against climate change. We cannot meet our existing climate laws and get to 100% renewable energy with gas.

• Gas is not “clean.” According to experts, when you add up all the leaks and other full-cycle factors, it is as bad for the environment as coal.

• Some of the gas transported by these pipelines will be sold overseas at enormous profits.

• Legislators oppose the Pipeline Tax: The Massachusetts Senate voted 39-0 against a pipeline tax and 99 members of the House signed a letter against it.

• Pipelines harm the towns and neighborhoods that they transverse, encroaching on conservation land and greenways, not to mention people’s private property.

In short, we don’t want, don’t need and can’t afford more gas pipelines.

Eversource, National Grid and Enbridge say that pipelines are needed to ensure system reliability and lower prices.  That is completely false according to reports from the Massachusetts Attorney General and leading energy economics experts. See these recent reports showing that new pipelines are not necessary and will not lower prices:

New England’s Shrinking Need for Natural Gas

Regional Electric Reliability Options Study

We must stop these pipelines now.

Consumers for Sensible Energy

Consumers for Sensible Energy works on behalf of New England’s consumers by promoting responsible energy policies that assure adequate energy supplies at fair prices.

We have joined with like-minded organizations to fight against proposed natural gas pipelines and pipeline taxes in New England because they will hurt consumers. Over the past few years, Eversource, NGrid and Enbridge have proposed that consumers pay over $14 BILLION for new gas pipelines. They have petitioned the DPU and PURA to make ratepayers pay for the cost of construction, operations and maintenance, depreciation expenses, and a return on equity, which is the highest in the country.

They have also charged rate payers for lobbying costs and for memberships in trade associations that are pushing for higher rates!