Renner Barsella, renner.barsella@sierraclub.org
BROOKFIELD, CT. – Compressor stations maintain the flow and pressure of fracked gas transported in pipelines. Due to serious health and safety risks, experts recommend compressors stay at least 1.8 miles away from occupied buildings. A new report by Thimble Creek Research and Eco Essential Solutions, prepared for Sierra Club Connecticut, reveals the dangers posed by the proposed expansion of a compressor station in Brookfield located within 1,900 feet of a local middle school and within a mile of 800 residential buildings.
Click Here to Read the Full Report.
According to the report, the expansion to the compressor station will result in the increased emission and exposure of locals to toxic carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon monoxide (CO), fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Exposure to these toxins in the air can cause lung irritation, difficulty breathing, increased risk of respiratory conditions like asthma, and aggravation of other respiratory or heart conditions.
Children, seniors, pregnant women, and people with pre-existing conditions are all at higher health risk from exposure to dangerous emissions. Whisconier Middle School enrolls 790 fifth through eighth grade students. Of the 2,000 residents who live in the 800 neighboring residences, 674 are children under 18 and 293 are over 65.
The Brookfield project is one of four Connecticut and New York compressor expansions proposed by Berkshire Hathaway and TC Energy along an existing fracked gas pipeline. Community members fiercely opposed the initial construction of the compressor station and another subsequent expansion. The latest proposed expansion has received similar backlash from local residents who, alongside Sierra Club Connecticut, have rallied to stop the project.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the four expansion projects in 2022. As for the Brookfield project specifically, the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) has been working for two years on a draft air permit. The First Selectman of Brookfield, Sierra Club CT, Save the Sound, and other organizations have called for DEEP to reject the permit application.
The report follows the release of a “Human Health Risk Assessment” by TC Energy and Berkshire Hathaway. The previous assessment was deeply flawed, having failed to look at the station’s long term health impacts or disclose at what distance from the facility health impacts were measured.
“Brookfield residents are grateful to finally have an independent, unbiased review of the potential health effects of Trans Canada Energy's proposed compressor stations. We are especially relieved that this review acknowledges the potential detrimental impact to the health of children attending site-adjacent Whisconier Middle School. We are hopeful our regulatory agencies seriously consider this assessment.” Kerry Swift, Brookfield resident
“All Connecticut residents deserve to breathe clean air. This report shows that those living near fossil fuel infrastructure are exposed to dangerous spikes in toxic emissions. It is imperative that DEEP protect the residents of Brookfield and reject the proposal to expand the Brookfield compressor station.” Samantha Dynowski, State Director, Sierra Club Connecticut.
“As a member of the Brookfield community, I am heartened by this document; full of information and peer reviewed, science-based data confirming our concerns regarding the presence of the Gas-fired Compressor Station in our town. With the proposed expansion of the station, and in the absence of air testing to date, it is critical that this information be disseminated immediately.” Joanne Cafiero, Brookfield Resident
“This report verifies, with factual accuracy, that adding two more gas turbine compressors to the existing Brookfield compressor station, puts our residents, and our school children at risk. It substantiates the residents and town leaders' opposition to the project using authoritative information and expertise.” Pam Krauss, Brookfield Resident
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.