There is a proposal submitted to the state’s top environmental agency for the construction of a natural gas pipeline that would potentially impact two popular state parks. The state’s largest utility company, Eversource, which owns Yankee Gas, submitted a project proposal to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, according to the scoping notice on the plan shared last August and a copy of the application. The electric company is proposing two modifications to two existing electric transmission easements. The modified easements would allow construction, operation, and maintenance of a 199-psig natural gas distribution pipeline across state owned property, records show. The pipeline would allow for the maximum allowed operating pressure or pounds-per-square-inch for industrial gas piping in Connecticut, according to the plan shared in the scoping notice. The proposed pipeline would be 16 inches in diameter and stretch for the entire length of the already existing electric easements, records show. The proposed pipeline segment would cover a distance of approximately 6,700 feet or 1.2 miles, according to the project proposal. The existing electric easements were established by the former Hartford Electric Light Co., now modern day Eversource. The utility company said that the proposed construction is part of its “Southeast Resiliency Project.” The aim of the pipeline is to improve Connecticut’s natural gas infrastructure to better withstand threats and impacts while ensuring greater energy supply to customers, according to Eversource, records show. According to DEEP, the first easement is located on the Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park Trail in Middletown. The second easement, several hundred feet wide and located in Haddam and East Hampton, covers portions of Hurd State Park and George Seymour State Park Scenic Reserve along with Higganum Meadows Wildlife Management Area.
Natural gas pipeline plan involves two CT state parks. DEEP to do environmental impact evaluation.
