Editor’s note: This commentary is by Dr. William Fifield, a member of Rising Tide and a retired physician from Middlebury. It is the testimony he prepared for the Vermont Public Service Board hearing on the Addison Natural Gas Project on Sept. 10, but was not chosen to speak. A commentary by Rebecca Foster described Fifield’s experience at the hearing.
Gentlemen:
I’m Bill Fifield, a member of Rising Tide and a retired physician from Middlebury, and I’m speaking tonight because we have very little time left to prevent runaway climate change. Back when the three of you and I were in elementary school, one of the guiding principles we heard over and over again, not only in school, but at home, at church and at Cub Scout meetings, was that we should always strive to do the right thing. That principle seems to have been lost by many of our elected representatives in Washington; otherwise they would NOT have:
A. Voted down overwhelmingly a resolution simply stating that Congress accepts the EPA finding (supported by 97 percent of climate scientists) that “climate change is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for public health and welfare.”
B. Congress would not have passed legislation introduced by Vice President Cheney (the Halliburton Loophole) that exempted the fracking industry from Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act regulations. In my view, this was unconscionable.
In my view, we in Vermont can do better than that. So:
• Knowing that Vermont has banned fracking in the state because of environmental and health concerns;
• Knowing that fracking fluid contains ingredients that are secret but is known to contain carcinogens such as benzene and toluene;
• Knowing that first American indigenous peoples in Alberta have an incredibly high incidence of bile duct cancer due to contamination of their drinking water by fracking fluid;
• Knowing that Vermont Gas claims that natural gas has 23 percent lower emissions than other fuels and quotes as a reference, the Energy Information Administration, which is part of the American Petroleum Institute, a trade association for the oil and gas industry;
• Knowing that in its life cycle, fracked methane is at least as dirty (in terms of greenhouse gases) as other fuels;
• Remembering that, several years ago, James Hansen, the world’s leading climatologist, said that 350 ppm of CO2 was the highest level of atmospheric CO2 that was compatible with the world as we know it, and that we just passed 400 ppm;
• Knowing that if we remain on our present course (burning fossil fuels) that within 15 years runaway, impossible-to-stop global warming will begin;
• And knowing that Vermont Gas has said that, ultimately, 70 percent of the methane transported through its pipes will end up at International Paper, in New York state, and will result in considerable short-term profits for a Canadian-owned company, why would the Vermont Public Service Board seriously consider approving this project for the public good of Vermont?
Gentlemen, I ask that when you consider the VGS application for a certificate of public good, that you remember our grandchildren and remember what we learned all those decades ago, do the right thing and vote against this project. Everyone in this room will bear witness to your decision. Thank you.
