Kinder Morgan Signs Agreement with Trade Union

The New Hampshire Building and Construction Trades Council today announced the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Kinder Morgan for work on the company’s proposed Northeast Energy Direct (NED) underground natural gas pipeline, according to a press statement.

In its support of NED, Building Trades leaders cited the vital jobs that will be created by the project and the need for more natural gas to reduce the cost of living and doing business in New Hampshire.

“Granite State families and businesses across the entire state are hurting from the burden of our high energy costs,” said Steve Burk, president of the New Hampshire Building and Construction Trades Council. “By helping solve New England’s energy supply crunch in an environmentally responsible way, the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline will strengthen our economy and help New Hampshire’s working families get ahead.”

The MOA states that Kinder Morgan and all of its construction contractors will use union labor at all pipeline construction sites in New Hampshire, and negotiate a project labor agreement (PLA) for work on the project.

“Kinder Morgan is proud to be working with Building Trades workers in New Hampshire to create hundreds of construction jobs for local workers” said Allen Fore, vice president of Public Affairs for Kinder Morgan. “This MOA will ensure that construction of the pipeline occurs safely, efficiently, and in a timely fashion so that Granite Staters can receive much-needed natural gas sooner.”

Denis Beaudoin, the business manager of IBEW Local 490, agreed.

“Every year, New Hampshire working families and businesses are being squeezed by high energy costs because of our region’s natural gas pipeline constraints. Our energy crisis is growing every year and we aren’t doing anything about it,” he said. “We need more natural gas transmission capacity to meet New England and New Hampshire’s energy needs, control the cost of doing business, and create jobs. Kinder Morgan’s pipeline proposal is the most effective, least disruptive plan to increase the supply of clean dome stic natural gas for all of New England.”