FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PLEASE CONTACT: Sarah Leighton, Chapter Director, Sierra Club Maine: sarah.leighton@sierraclub.org, 207-761-5616
March 2, 2021 -- The announcement today by Summit Natural Gas that they will be withdrawing their plan to extend a fracked gas pipeline from Belfast through Thomaston is a win for our health, planet, and economy. Maine’s path to 100% clean energy does not include any more investment in fossil fuel infrastructure.
Sierra Club Maine, who helped organize hundreds of individuals from the MidCoast area to use their voices to say “no” to the proposed plan, is proud of these local community efforts. “In just two short weeks, over 270 people signed a petition against the project, and more than 170 people showed up in opposition to the project at a Rockland City Council meeting. It was clear that MidCoast residents were not fooled by Summit’s advertising,” says Sierra Club Maine’s Chapter Director, Sarah Leighton. “This grassroots effort is a true testament to the power of community organizing.”
The effort to stop the pipeline is also being celebrated by the community. “I see this as a success for the MidCoast community and the environment everywhere” says Hallie Arno, a student at College of the Atlantic studying aquaculture and marine resources and resident of Lincolnville. She continues “I was encouraged by the advocacy of so many residents at the Rockland City Council meeting who spoke about the need to lower greenhouse gas emissions, their concern for community health, and the role Maine must play as a leader in solving the global climate crisis. MidCoast Maine should not increase our reliance on fossil fuels by investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure; we need to move forward by investing in renewables and increasing our energy efficiency.”
“While we are pleased that Summit Natural Gas decided to listen to the people of MidCoast Maine, our effort to stop fracked gas does not end here,” says Leighton. Sierra Club Maine will continue to mobilize communities across the state to stop fracked gas and educate individuals about its harmful effects.
Fracked gas releases nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other compounds into our atmosphere. Fracked gas is also an emitter of methane which, measured over a 20-year period, is 84 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Gas use also results in increased fracking (hydraulic fracturing) which involves forcing a toxic mix of water, sand, and unregulated chemicals to blast into subterranean rock formations, polluting water with chemicals such as benzene. It has induced earthquakes and caused tap water to become flammable. Environmental impacts include polluting billions of gallons of fresh water while clearing and fragmenting forests, wilderness, and grasslands, which are replaced with industrial wastelands.
Fracked gas is also bad for our health. In fact, children in homes with gas stoves have a 42% greater risk of experiencing asthma symptoms.
“The fracked gas industry has done a good job at marketing and deceiving individuals into thinking that fracked gas is good, but they couldn’t be more wrong,” says Leighton. Fracked gas isn’t even the cheapest heating option. It costs $2,587 per year to heat the average home using fracked gas while a heat pump powered by solar costs only $1,023 per year to heat the same home.
“Now is not the time to be spending millions to bring fossil fuels to more people” says Leighton. “The best alternative to fracked gas and other fossil fuels is electricity. As we move to a renewable energy economy, all electricity will become powered by renewable energy sources.” Right now, there are some great incentives for heat pumps through Efficiency Maine. To help transition more people to clean electricity, Sierra Club Maine is advocating for the creation of a “Green Bank'' which will fund efficiency and clean energy projects in Maine, with a specific focus on providing equitable financing opportunities, such as low-interest loans to low-income households, small businesses, and those who otherwise would not be able to afford it.
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Sierra Club Maine is one of 64 chapters nationally with 4 million members and supporters. Working in Maine for over 40 years, Sierra Club Maine has over 20,000 members and supporters across the state. As a volunteer-run, grassroots organization, Sierra Club Maine believes in the power of people working together to make change happen. Their mission is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means necessary to carry out these objectives.