Today Vermont Gas CEO Don Rendall announced that the company has canceled plans for Phase 2 of the proposed fracked gas pipeline. Phase 2 would have carried fracked gas underneath Lake Champlain to International Paper’s plant in Ticonderoga, NY.
VPIRG Executive Director Paul Burns had this to say on Vermont Gas’ decision to cancel Phase 2 of the fracked gas pipeline:
“Vermont Gas’s decision today to pull the plug on Phase 2 of its fracked gas pipeline project is a big win for the people of Vermont. The truth is it should never have been proposed in the first place. Spending tens of millions of dollars on fossil fuel infrastructure was a bad idea even before the massive cost overruns, but now even the project’s biggest backers can no longer stomach it.
By putting an end to Phase 2 today, VGS was recognizing the inevitable. It was not going to be approved by the Public Service Board. It was not in the best interest of Vermont. And now the viability of Phase 1 is in serious doubt. There are better, cost effective alternatives already available for residential customers that do not require any fossil fuel. And for larger facilities interested in going with gas now, there are alternatives that do not depend on a hugely expensive pipeline.
Whether your concern is the environment, our climate or your pocketbook, today’s announcement is good news.”
VPIRG would like to thank our members, staff, and the Vermont activists who helped to make this victory possible.