Residents of Cornwall voted 3-1 against a proposed natural gas pipeline expansion, according to a recent town survey.
Town officials mailed 485 surveys to residents and received 298 back. Residents voted 215-71 against the pipeline (12 surveys were spoiled).
The Addison County town would host the second phase of Vermont Gas Systems’ southern pipeline expansion across the western side of the state.
Town officials say Cornwall has little to gain from a pipeline proposal to connect Middlebury to the International Paper mill in Ticonderoga, N.Y.
“There is a long list of reasons,” said Judy Watts, vice chair of the town Selectboard. “Basically, I think that there is very little benefit to the majority of the population in Cornwall.”
Town officials worry that Vermont Gas’ pipeline expansion will not provide service to Cornwall because of its low population density.
Vermont Gas Systems’ spokesman Steve Wark says the town will receive natural gas. He added that the expansion will create jobs and pay millions in state and municipal taxes.
Wark said the survey results are not surprising despite Vermont Gas’ having “worked hard with Cornwall to accommodate their concerns and comply with their town plan.”
“I’m not surprised by the outcome of the survey given the constant and very negative tone set by Cornwall’s leadership. A vote against phase 2 of the Addison-Rutland Natural Gas Project is a vote against cleaner regional air quality; it is also a vote against helping Rutland improve their economy,” Wark said in an email Friday.
Last year, the Vermont Public Service Board approved the company’s proposal to build a 43-mile, $86.6 million natural gas pipeline that would connect Colchester to Addison County.
Landowners in Monkton, a town located in the path of the first phase of the pipeline expansion, have criticized the utility for allegedly failing to fairly negotiate right-of-way easements.
The second phase of the expansion would move the utility closer to completing its later proposed extension to Rutland. Wark said the company will be selling natural gas to the paper mill. In exchange for the service, he said the paper mill will pay a rate that will cover both the cost of the natural gas and the infrastructure, including an upgrade that will bring the pipeline to Rutland 15 years sooner.
Watts said the town may have to hire an expert to participate in the pending Public Service Board review process for phase 2 of the project. But if the project is approved, there will be additional financial burdens for the town, she said.
This includes providing the town fire department with the necessary training and equipment to respond to any emergency involving the pipeline. It is unclear what effect the pipeline will have on property values in the town, she said.
Town voters will be asked whether to support the pipeline expansion on Town Meeting Day.
The Vermont Public Interest Research Group says the Public Service Board does not have the jurisdiction to rule on an interstate natural gas project. The environmental watchdog group, which opposes the project, says Vermont Gas must first receive a waiver from federal regulators before seeking approval from the board.
Jim Dumont, an attorney from Bristol representing VPIRG, says it remains unclear whether the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will grant the waiver, which could delayed the review process for the project, he said.
“It’s certainly not a forgone conclusion that Vermont Gas is going to get the exemption from FERC,” Dumont said.
Vermont Gas will file with FERC this month, Wark said.
