Times Argus [Vermont]
Published: February 15, 2012
Letter to the editor
Energy behemoth on the hunt
The proposed takeover of CVPS by Green Mountain Power poses a grave threat to the state of Vermont. Like “renewable wind,” Green Mountain Power sounds so wholesome and Vermont-y, but as is the case with ridgeline wind projects, further investigation reveals a seedy underside carefully managed by public relations teams, lawyers and lobbyists. GMP is wholly owned by Gaz Metro of Canada (which already owns Vermont’s only natural gas utility). Gaz Metro is owned by Noverco, which is wholly owned by Trencap (formerly Infragaz) and Enbridge. It is at this level where even a cursory glance at the record reveals their willingness to systematically destroy ecosystems, ignore property rights, and undermine local autonomy to extract every possible dollar of profit.
The 804 spills on Enbridge pipelines between 1999 and 2010 released approximately 7.08 million gallons of hydrocarbons into the environment. In 2009 Enbridge paid $1.1 million to the state of Wisconsin for 545 environmental violations perpetrated while building the $2.1 billion Southern Access pipeline that transports tar sands crude oil to Chicago. Attorney General Van Hollen said that “the incidents of violation were numerous and widespread, and resulted in impacts to the streams and wetlands throughout the various watersheds.” In 2010, an Enbridge pipeline in Michigan spilled 843,444 gallons into Talmadge Creek that flows into the Great Lakes.
Enbridge is currently developing the Gateway Pipeline through unceded First Nations lands to ship 525,000 barrels of tar sands crude per day to Asia. They are also developing a major pipeline to deliver natural gas extracted through fracking in Pennsylvania.
Vermont is about to be bought out by an evil energy behemoth. Do your own research, and stand up to demand an end to this madness.
Michael Reddy
Wheelock
