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By Guy Page
A public hearing will be held Thursday for a Certificate of Public Good permit for a natural gas pipeline completed in 2017.
Nearly a year after Vermont Supreme Court’s decision that VGS needs to file for a new Certificate of Public Good (CPG) because of evidence that the Addison Natural Gas Project was not built according to the original CPG (see Supreme Court says VT Gas pipeline changes needed state OK – Vermont Daily Chronicle), the Vermont Public Utilities Commission is holding a Certificate of Public Good hearing.
The public hearing will be held on Thursday, March 27, in-person, at the Vergennes Opera House, 120 Main Street, Vergennes. The Public Hearing will begin at 7 PM, or immediately following a presentation at 6 PM hosted by the Vermont Department of Public Service where Vermont Gas Systems, will describe the amendment and answer questions about project details.
All petition materials are available online at https://epuc.vermont.gov/ in Case #25-0055-PET.
The Vermont Supreme Court ruled last year that state regulators did not properly enforce penalties against Vermont Gas for construction violations during the Addison County pipeline project.
Completed in 2017 despite cost overruns and legal battles, the pipeline delivers Canadian natural gas to Addison County. Opponents challenged the project, citing improper construction practices, such as inadequate burial depth and placement under power lines.
In 2021, the Vermont Public Utility Commission found Vermont Gas made unapproved “substantial changes” but allowed permit amendments instead of stronger penalties. The court’s decision calls into question the state’s oversight of the project.
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Categories: Infrastructure and Public Works
any monetary penalties assessed to Vermont Gas for obtaining forgiveness rather than permission?
It is expedient and worth the financial penalties for VGS to say, once agian, “ops, sorry.” It’s easier for the PUC to issue a financial penalty and a new CPG without investigating if and where the pipeline was not built according to the CPG, which makes the Section 248 process look like a sham, and puts neighborhoods through which the pipeline runs at higher risk of an accident. No engineer of record was on hand to document construction compliance with the CPG. VGS will claim the pipeline is safe. Much natural gas is being burned in their gaslights.
Permit denial, now shut off the gas. The new customers will show their true colors when there is no gas.