Pols Call on Kinder Morgan to Host More Public Meetings

As the old goes, Ask and you shall receive.

All four of New Hampshire’s representatives in Congress requested Kinder Morgan to hold more public hearings concerning the proposed Northeast Energy Direct Project natural gas pipeline last month, according to a press statement yesterday, and the company appears to have agreed to the request, according to The Associated Press.

On Feb. 27, U.S. Sens. Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, as well as U.S. Reps. Ann McLane Kuster, D-NH, and Frank Guinta, R-NH, signed a letter requesting more hearings in order to allow residents to “understand, assess and comment on the project before any final decision is made regarding the project’s route,” according to a letter to the company’s public affairs director.

The letter was sent out to media outlets on March 2.

“As of the date of this letter, Kinder Morgan has hosted five open houses in the New Hampshire communities of Hudson, Londonderry, Milford, Rindge and Winchester,” the letter stated. “In order for New Hampshire citizens to have the same opportunity that Massachusetts residents had to evaluate this project in full, more time is required. With that in mind, we respectfully request that Kinder Morgan hold a second round of open houses during the coming months in potentially affected communities to allow New Hampshire residents to better review and understand information, assess potential impact and meaningfully express their views in an open and transparent setting. Furthermore, town administrators and officials should have the most up-to-date and accurate information about how their communities will be impacted as this process moves forward. Therefore, we request that Kinder Morgan schedules meetings with any impacted towns that make the request.”

In a statement released on March 3, a representative stated that there were already plans to conduct more meetings. Dates and locations are forthcoming, according to the AP.

The pipeline is prosed to flow through the western part of New Hampshire, through Milford, Amherst, and Merrimack, across to Londonderry, and then south through Windham and Pelham, and into Massachusetts.