Compressor Free Franklin (CFF), a grassroots group in Franklin, N.Y., has been working for two years to raise public awareness of the two pipelines, the Cabot-Williams Constitution and Kinder-Morgan NED, as well as a 30,000-hp compressor station that are proposed for our town.
We can understand the concerns, and are delighted to hear that Massachusetts public officials have taken a stand. Our town Board of Selectmen has sidestepped the issue by taking no action.
CFF has repeatedly asked for a resolution of unconditional opposition to a compressor station, a road-use law to protect our roads during large-scale development, a blasting ordinance to protect private wells, a reduction of the local zoning law to 55 dB at property boundaries to match Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulation, and enforcement of the Agricultural District provisions for conversion of farm land to industrial uses (as a pipeline right-of-way and location for a compressor).
We have not succeeded, but we also have not given up!
We encourage you to continue in your efforts at curbing this blatantly improper use of eminent domain to take private-land rights for big-business profits.