Chris Balch
ECHO Action Team
5 reasons we don't need Granite Bridge.
1. "Natural Gas" is not natural. The process used to extract it requires pressure injection of dangerous chemicals into the earth, contaminating water tables.
2. "Natural" Gas is mostly methane. Methane is 86x as potent a greenhouse gas as Carbon dioxide. "Natural" Gas routinely leaks during transfers, at pressurizing stations, entering the atmosphere.
3. Companies seeking to expand "Natural" Gas service present it as a "bridge fuel," implying it will be used for a few years while sustainable energies "get up to speed." Common sense tells us that any for-profit company investing hundreds-millions into infrastructure will want that investment repaid, with profit, before retiring the infrastructure.
4. The US Department of Energy reports in 2017 there were 22 gas explosions resulting in 12 deaths and 21 injuries and millions in property damage. The Granite Bridge pipeline would run along Rte101 from Stratham to Manchester, in close proximity to over 1000 organizations, including elderly living facilities, hospitals, schools, and childcare centers.
5. We do not transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy by investing in another fossil fuel. "Natural" gas is non-renewable and will expire. It is not sustainable and therefore not an answer to the growing energy crisis the world faces.
We must look beyond "Natural" Gas and invest in renewable forms of energy. The people of New Hampshire care deeply about this and have repeatedly indicated that we are ready for sustainable energy now.