Open letter to the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce:
The Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce recently announced Kinder Morgan as the newest member and chamber corporate sponsor of their group. As a community member, I was very disappointed when I saw the announcement.
The nature of business Kinder Morgan operates will not serve as a resource to improve the quality of life for the region. This type of industry will carve a permanent scar into our landscape, destroy our natural resources and ruin the livelihoods of its community members and that of future generations to come.
In your mission statement your organization claims it, “Shall support and promote businesses, stimulate economic development for the region, and serve as a resource to improve the quality of life for the region.” Kinder Morgan has stated, “Spill response and clean-up creates business and employment opportunities for affected communities, regions and clean-up service providers.” This is an unsettling insight into the mindset of this company.
“People do business with people they know, like and trust.” The way the agents working for Kinder Morgan conducted business in our communities is unacceptable. Residents have been left shaken by its scare tactics, and the company has not been forthcoming in disclosing the full extent of the proposed high pressure “fracked” gas pipeline project. Town officials had not been informed of any such projects and as a result issued the agents of Kinder Morgan a cease and desist order. Local legislatures are not pleased either with the way the company is dealing with property owners and town governments who would be impacted by the pipeline.
Now that Kinder Morgan is a member of the NVCOC, (as I write this) I am deeply concerned with the upcoming forum on Aug. 5 in Lunenburg, which the NVCOC is hosting for impacted communities to discuss the proposed fracked gas pipeline project.
Maureen Morine
Pepperell
