Today’s Topic: New York and New England do not need the “Constitution” pipeline.
Suggested Talking Points:
The Constitution Pipeline Company has stated repeatedly to the press and the public that its proposed fracked-gas pipeline is necessary to deliver “much-needed natural gas” to New York City and New England. However, since 2012, the company has told its investors that it is an “opportunity for export.”
Indeed, the Constitution pipeline would move shale gas from Pennsylvania to Wright, New York, where it would interconnect with the Iroquois and Tennessee Gas Pipelines. From Wright, there is no way to transport any additional gas to NYC or New England because the Iroquois and Tennessee pipelines are already filled to capacity at times of greatest demand.
Enter the “SoNo Project.” Instead of transporting gas from Canada to the United States, Iroquois would “reverse the flow” to transport gas from New York to Canada. From there it could be exported overseas. (Natural gas sells in European and Asian markets for two to five times the price in the US.)
The amount of gas that Constitution plans to transport to Wright, NY (650,000 dekatherms/day), is the exact amount
