January 03, 2018

Berkshire Eagle: Markey and Warren want firm action from EPA and FERC for pipeline's discharge of 'hazardous wastewater' in Agawam

A discharge of 16,500 gallons of "hazardous wastewater" from pipeline testing in Agawam has prompted intervention by the two U.S. senators that represent Massachusetts.

In a letters to federal regulators, U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren said Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.'s release of pressure testing wastewater Nov. 20 poses a threat to public health and the environment in surrounding communities.

"This wastewater reportedly contains heavy metals and carcinogenic chemicals," the senators wrote to Kevin McIntryre, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. "This improper discharge by Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, is exactly the kind of environmental and public health risk feared by local communities when the Connecticut Expansion Project in Western Massachusetts was approved."

Read the full article on the Berkshire Eagle's website here.