CARCS Baseline Testing
Donation protected
CARCS needs your financial help to fund environmental baseline testing!
Although Enbridge has technically withdrawn their Access Northeast application with FERC, it is clear they may resubmit at any time. When they do, it is extremely likely that a compressor station sited in Rehoboth would be key to any future project. For this reason, CARCS continues to remain active and is working on several strategies to protect our community from the next increased gas capacity proposal:
THE PLAN
Our current trajectory is to back up our new Compressor Station 4.1.1 Bylaw Amendment with some teeth, and conduct our own baseline air and well water testing. Our intention is to conduct a combination of air and well water testing around the perimeter of the proposed compressor station site, and at qualifying “areas of concern” on private property closest to the existing interstate pipelines. To do this we will need your help to cover the cost of these tests.
WHY?
While roughly 20,000+ distribution line leaks are in the public eye and overseen, quantified, and scheduled eventually for repair, our interstate gas transmission lines are not. By contrast, residents, municipalities, and state officials (including our Department of Environmental Protection) are not given any access to data concerning the true condition of the 60+year old Algonquin transmission pipeline. Instead, the Algonquin and its operators come under the purview a chronically understaffed and underfunded agency called PHMSA- the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration. PHMSA is the federal agency who “oversees” our pipeline by outlining numerous protocols and requirements for pipeline operators. But where it all falls apart, is when pipeline operators who self-inspect and self-report make mistakes or decide to take short cuts. In truth is, PHMSA steps in to take an active role only after a “significant incident” is reported. And unfortunately for the public, a “significant incident” is quantified as an incident involving property damage and/or loss of life. All pipelines will ultimately corrode, leak and fail, and as a well water only community with considerable wetlands, the prospect of any kind of pipeline leak or rupture puts us in particular peril. Once you consider the age of the Algonquin, which has been “grandfathered in” (as it does not comply with current pipeline safety standards), our risk is amplified to unacceptable levels.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Since we are dealing with a federal project and as yet have no real legislative mechanism to protect our water, health, and safety in advance of a failure, CARCS recognizes that it must fall to us - the citizens themselves to mobilize, monitor, and protect our communities from harm. CARCS is now officially a nonprofit organization and your donation is tax deductible, so please help us help our community and donate!
Although Enbridge has technically withdrawn their Access Northeast application with FERC, it is clear they may resubmit at any time. When they do, it is extremely likely that a compressor station sited in Rehoboth would be key to any future project. For this reason, CARCS continues to remain active and is working on several strategies to protect our community from the next increased gas capacity proposal:
THE PLAN
Our current trajectory is to back up our new Compressor Station 4.1.1 Bylaw Amendment with some teeth, and conduct our own baseline air and well water testing. Our intention is to conduct a combination of air and well water testing around the perimeter of the proposed compressor station site, and at qualifying “areas of concern” on private property closest to the existing interstate pipelines. To do this we will need your help to cover the cost of these tests.
WHY?
While roughly 20,000+ distribution line leaks are in the public eye and overseen, quantified, and scheduled eventually for repair, our interstate gas transmission lines are not. By contrast, residents, municipalities, and state officials (including our Department of Environmental Protection) are not given any access to data concerning the true condition of the 60+year old Algonquin transmission pipeline. Instead, the Algonquin and its operators come under the purview a chronically understaffed and underfunded agency called PHMSA- the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration. PHMSA is the federal agency who “oversees” our pipeline by outlining numerous protocols and requirements for pipeline operators. But where it all falls apart, is when pipeline operators who self-inspect and self-report make mistakes or decide to take short cuts. In truth is, PHMSA steps in to take an active role only after a “significant incident” is reported. And unfortunately for the public, a “significant incident” is quantified as an incident involving property damage and/or loss of life. All pipelines will ultimately corrode, leak and fail, and as a well water only community with considerable wetlands, the prospect of any kind of pipeline leak or rupture puts us in particular peril. Once you consider the age of the Algonquin, which has been “grandfathered in” (as it does not comply with current pipeline safety standards), our risk is amplified to unacceptable levels.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Since we are dealing with a federal project and as yet have no real legislative mechanism to protect our water, health, and safety in advance of a failure, CARCS recognizes that it must fall to us - the citizens themselves to mobilize, monitor, and protect our communities from harm. CARCS is now officially a nonprofit organization and your donation is tax deductible, so please help us help our community and donate!
Organizer
CARCS Organization
Organizer
Rehoboth, MA
Begin your fundraising journey
