10 Arrested Wednesday Forming Human Barricade to Block Pipeline Workers and Construction Vehicles in Consideration of Public Safety
Massachusetts – In an early morning action carried out yesterday at the site of the Kinder Morgan/TGP Connecticut Expansion Pipeline Project, 21 members of the Sugar Shack Alliance successfully blocked construction traffic for almost 3 hours in 2 directions on Cold Spring Road in Sandisfield MA, hindering access to work zones for employees, and, for a short time, disrupting ongoing pipeline construction. The day’s action—undertaken by Sugar Shack Alliance members in the interest of public safety—resulted in the arrest of 10 activists.
One major safety concern for the Sugar Shack Alliance and their allies is the apparent lack of an evacuation plan in the event of a potentially catastrophic accident. In 1981, as many Sandisfield residents may recall, during construction of a second of two pipelines, workers accidentally ruptured an existing “live” pipeline, resulting in a serious threat of a gas leak and requiring the evacuation of many townspeople. With the construction of this new pipeline, Kinder Morgan was also blasting in close proximity to two existing “live” gas pipelines. This cavalier attitude on the part of Kinder Morgan—and their discernible lack of concern over unforeseen consequences suffered by local residents, pipeline workers, as well as the general public in the event of a potentially deadly accident—greatly encouraged this action.
In addition, we are alarmed that once construction is complete, Kinder Morgan will be removing over half a million gallons of water from Lower Spectacle Pond to test their pipes. There is currently no available information as to what toxins may be contained in those pipes during construction. The water, warmed during the test process, along with any number of unknown residues, will be discharged down a steep slope of the easement into Spectacle Pond Brook then travel into the Clam River, a designated coldwater fishery. To make matters worse, we believe this land is still be protected under Article 97 of the Massachusetts State Constitution, which states that the land be conserved in perpetuity, guaranteed for the use and enjoyment by the people of Massachusetts, and not used for private profit.
The Sugar Shack Alliance remains deeply rooted in the principles of non-violent civil disobedience. We work in unison with the larger environmental and climate justice movement, and all peoples of the world who seek to disrupt any and all expansion of the fossil fuel industry.