David Watters’ constituents met with him on Monday, November 4th to ask him to oppose the proposed Granite Bridge Fracked Gas Pipeline
In May of 2018, a group of 22 New Hampshire senators, excluding Sens. John Reagan, R-Deerfield, and John Gray, R-Rochester, endorsed Liberty Utilities’ Plan to construct the Granite Bridge Pipeline project. As proposed, the pipeline would carry fracked methane gas from Manchester to Exeter, along Route 101 and include a massive liquified natural gas (LNG) storage tank in Epping. By supporting this fossil fuel infrastructure project, these senators, including David Watters and Dan Feltes, would commit New Hampshire to years of dependence on fossil fuels instead of transitioning New Hampshire to renewable energy sources. On Monday, November 4th, twelve of Senator David Watters’ constituents and friends visited his office to ask him to oppose the pipeline.
Representing 350 New Hampshire, several people told the senator their concerns about health and safety associated with the pipeline and tank.
Sylvia Foster, climate activist and resident of Durham says:
“We ask you to re-consider, in the face of the advance of climate change and in the face of this toxic project because it ignores the science that the fossil fuel industry destroys our air quality through its intentional methane leaks and through its disrespect for our water and soil. We ask you to stand with us against the pipeline proposal - on behalf of the safety of our children and for the people who would be living in the shadow of volatile and, therefore, potentially explosive storage tank.”
350 New Hampshire, Mothers Out Front, and the Sierra Club have raised concerns about the pipeline since the senators endorsed last May, and the increased reliance on fossil fuel causes reason for concern. New pipelines mean that New Hampshire is increasing its own contribution to the climate crisis. The most recent IPCC reports said that we have less than eleven years to prevent irreversible damage from the climate crisis, and this pipeline would lock New Hampshire into reliance on fracked methane gas for more than forty years.
Rebecca Beaulieu, an organizer with 350NH, says: “I am worried about what my future looks like with the climate crisis getting increasingly worse. We cannot let the fossil fuel industry continue to profit off the destruction of our land and climate.”
The group asked Senator David Watters if he would stand with them and address the climate crisis by speaking out against the Granite Bridge Pipeline. To much disappointment, he would not come out against the Pipeline. He spoke about the reasons that Liberty Utilities has told the public they want to build the pipeline. However, Liberty Utilities does not operate in the interest of the public. They profit when new pipelines are built to expand fracked methane gas use. They profit while the climate pays the price.
While many of New Hampshire’s senators are involved in legislation to expand New Hampshire’s renewable energy capabilities, they also have to prevent us from building new fossil fuel infrastructure. A new fracked gas pipeline would commit New Hampshire to another 40 or 50 years of reliance on that fossil fuel source. The group left the office singing “which side are you on?” and plans to continue to ask their senators to come out against the pipeline instead of locking New Hampshire into a fossil-fueled future. 350NH encourages all N.H. residents to contact their senators to oppose the Granite Bridge Pipeline. If you need help sending a letter or calling your senator or representative, contact rebecca350nh@gmail.com to get started.