Western MA. Gas Moratorium

EBEBRATT-Ed

Berkshire Gas will take on NO new customers in the towns of Amherst, (that includes U Mass & Amherst College which is huge) Hadley, Hatfield, Whately (Yankee Candle),Sunderland, Montague, Deerfield, and Greenfield. They will supply existing customers at there current usage levels (no added load) "some equipment changes with the same or less than the current load may be allowed" (that part makes no sense to me).

This will remain in effect until additional pipeline capacity becomes available, best case late 2018 IF the KINDER moRgan pipeline is approved which it presently is being fought by environmentalist.

Low gas pressure everywhere. Downtown West Hartford,Ct @4" wc in the winter. They couldn't see this coming??

maybe oil will make a comeback LOL. This was in PHCC "Progress" magazine I got yesterday

Jamie Hall

"They" -- being the gas companies -- did see it coming. But what are you going to do if every time you try to lay a pipe a NIMBY pops up and lays a delay on you instead?

On the other hand, oil... you can put on a truck or a train and there it is.

RobG

Jamie Hall said:

"They" -- being the gas companies -- did see it coming. But what are you going to do if every time you try to lay a pipe a NIMBY pops up and lays a delay on you instead?

On the other hand, oil... you can put on a truck or a train and there it is.

Yeah, it's amazing that the person that enjoys the benefits of gas can be so oblivious of their neighbors needs. It's a sorry state of society.

I have a friend who is a superintendent for a large builder, they build to suit, rarely do they do a spec home. Once the people sign the contract they want the home done immediately. If they drive by the lot at 6a.m. they expect people to be working on the home, they expect the same at 6 in the evening. When the house is done, all is good, until he starts work on the lot next door. Then the homeowners who were in such a rush to have their house built call the county because the contractors are starting work too early and finishing too late, disturbing their tranquil life. My friend enjoys telling the second buyer in this scenario that the reason their home is taking so long to build is because their neighbor won't let them start work until 9am and they have to stop by 6pm (county regulations). He creates feuds between the neighbors before they even live next to one another. I love it!

Charlie from wmass

strong arm tactics to force the approval of the new pipeline is the reason I have been given by those waiting for their new gas service. I had low pressure in Springfield over the winter that was due to old gas lines supplying the individual buildings, not a lack of supply for the whole system.

Charlie from wmass

There is still rebate money if you upgrade your 30 year old or older boiler whether you use gas or oil.

Paul48

I had typed an agreement with your statement about "supply for the whole system" Charlie. But then I started thinking.....If it isn't available at the source, they could have all the capacity in the world in the mains.

Charlie from wmass

Why does one gas company in the area have gas i.e. Columbia Gas and one doesn't Berkshire Gas?

Paul48

I really don't like siding with "big business", but they are faced with the same problems you can encounter installing any gas equipment in a structure, only on a greater scale. I think they can easily prove the need for a new pipeline( a numbers thing). But getting it by the envromentalists is another story. I can't answer why one supplier would have problems and not another. I'm sure it has to do with available supply vs. customer usage, but I don't know any of that stuff.

fred9

Here's an old (Oct '14) article saying Columbia may implement a moratorium this year or next.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/10/03/tight-natural-gas-supplies-has-utilities-ready-turn-away-new-customers/zeeyHhkduXfDdxp6iqc81O/story.html

I can't understand how someone paying for heating oil in New England would be against enabling companies to make more NG available. And it also helps lower electrical rates too. NE needs it to compete with the rest of the US.

Charlie from wmass

I'm all for responsible growth of infrastructure. The issue is people who use the environment to promote their own agenda. We have the same type of people fighting pipelines as fight wind turbines. The issue is a gas pipeline gets lumped in with a crude oil pipeline .

EBEBRATT-Ed

the gas companies are not keeping up with pipe upgrades and replacement. NYC last year blew up an apartment building where the old pipe in the street was installed in the 1880s. Boston I am told still has sections of wooden gas pipe-hard to believe. West Hartford, Ct 4" wc in the winter downtown. these old piping systems can't take high pressure or they will leak, that's why a lot of old cities are on low pressure. When demand exceeds supply they can't turn the pressure up. That's not the problem up north-They just don't have the capacity