Norfolk Pipeline Foes Prepare for May 9 Town Meeting

Norfolk residents concerned about the proposed Spectra Energy pipeline may want to attend the May 9 town meeting. The group known as No Norfolk MA Gas Pipeline would like the town to take a public stand against the pipeline in a resolution designed to urge state officials to oppose the project in Massachusetts.
No Norfolk MA Gas Pipeline members believe some town residents are unaware of the proposed pipeline and the far-reaching implications of such a large project going through town. The group notes the large number of people that could be affected if the pipeline leaks, and cautions the Freeman Kennedy School is very near the proposed pipeline’s evacuation zone.
Angela Wilcox, a member of No Norfolk MA Gas Pipeline and a direct abutter to the proposed pipeline, noted the town is considering a new well on Holbrook Street, right on the proposed pipeline route. A rupture or failure along the pipeline or during its construction could impact the proposed well and pose a risk to the town’s drinking water, she says.
“Do we really want our water source near a pipeline?” Wilcox asked, who will be speaking at the town meeting.
Citing health concerns, the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards is urging Board of Health departments across the state to pressure Governor Baker to oppose new gas pipelines. An excerpt of the letter sent to the Norfolk BOH states that natural gas pipelines pose health threats at every stage of processing and delivery:
“Many people are not aware that the toxins and carcinogens that travel with the gas when it is extracted from the earth’s crust can be emitted when there are releases of gas, unintentional or intentional, anywhere along the pipeline infrastructure.”
Wilcox cites recent incidences in Providence and N. Weymouth as examples of the inherent danger associated with pipelines in well-populated areas. On March 29, an interstate gas pipeline owned by Spectra Energy ruptured, closing I-195 and causing a hazmat situation. Vibrations in the area due to nearby construction or a thaw-freeze cycle likely caused the pipeline to shift. In January, a leak caused by a frozen valve at Spectra Energy’s gas metering station in N. Weymouth went unnoticed by Spectra until nearby residents smelled gas and helped avert a potential catastrophe.
“This is a 30-inch pipeline that’s going to have 750 psi of gas rushing through,” explained Wilcox about the proposed Norfolk pipeline. “People have to put it into perspective. A distribution line or service line that runs into homes for cooking or gas is as small as 2 inches, with under 10 psi of gas going through, yet we know those can have leaks and cause problems and explosions. We’re talking 10 psi versus 750 psi. That’s a dramatic difference.”
Pipeline opponents stress the Spectra Energy pipeline project does not provide any direct benefit to Norfolk. In fact, activists theorize the gas will ultimately be exported overseas.
Spectra Energy plans to install the high-pressure, fracked gas transmission line through Massachusetts as part of its Access Northeast project. The 21-mile pipeline will go through nine towns, including Norfolk. The Access Northeast project is part of a bigger effort to expand pipeline capacity along the East Coast into Canada.