LTE: Bright yellow pipes are no bridge to renewable energy

To The Editor:

Have you noticed the bright yellow polyethylene plastic pipes that are being laid down in great heaps next to where gas employees are working? After many years of complaining to gas companies about the multitude of leaks from old pipelines that are killing trees, hurting human health, and adding to our greenhouse-gas emissions, your first response might well be, “Great, they are finally fixing the leaks.” Think again. These are not fixes, but represent the gas companies’ latest gambit to keep us dependent on natural gas (aka methane) for many more decades. 

These new pipes are designed to carry a 7-12% hydrogen/methane mix. The gas companies claim that this is an essential part of their plan to “decarbonize” as required by the Massachusetts Next Generation Roadmap law. At best, the effect will be minor (a 10% or so reduction), well short of the reductions required by the law, and the hydrogen in the mix is not a clean or low-cost fuel either. Consider the following:

• The pipeline replacement program is estimated to cost $20 billion, rivaling the Big Dig, with the expense passed onto the rate payer. 
• One source of hydrogen is methane. The process of extracting it and making it suitable to re-blend creates even more CO2.
• National Grid wants to produce pure hydrogen, an energy-intensive process that they claim can be powered by using offshore-wind power. Why not skip this step and use offshore wind for its intended purpose, which is to produce electricity?
• National Grid claims there are “no harmful by-products” generated by the burning of hydrogen. Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) which is linked to respiratory problems and reduced cognitive performance, especially in children, adds to our greenhouse-gas emissions, and presents a higher risk of explosions than methane is created.
• Those who cannot afford to transition their homes to renewably sourced electricity, will be stuck with continually higher bills generated by this project.

Fix the leaks, don’t replace the pipes!

There are a number of very efficacious techniques that would cost the company, and thus the consumer, a pittance in comparison to their “replacement” policy and enable the methane system to act as the “bridge” they claim it is toward clean renewable options. These include: 

• The Type A sleeve solution option comprises a sleeve made from two halves of a steel cylinder that is placed around the damaged section of the pipe and welded to fully encircle the damaged section.
• The Type B sleeve is welded onto the pipeline surface with a full encirclement filet while the pipe is in service. This is a permanent, cost-effective repair solution for remedying non-leaking issues.
• Use of Pressure-Activated Sealant Technology to cure pipeline leaks such as pits, dents, gouges and external corrosion.

What Can I Do?

1. Write to National Grid, and let them know you won’t pay for their gambit to remain profitable. 1-800-322-3223
2. Let the DPU (Department of Public Utilities) know that you do not want to pay for this false transition to clean energy. Ask for a call back rather than an email so you can speak directly to the agency that is responsible for protecting us from schemes like this: (617) 305-3500.
3. Transition your own home to clean energy as quickly as you are able.
4. Advocate for a transition to geothermal heating and cooling, utilizing much of the infrastructure that the gas companies have built with public monies and protecting worker’s jobs. State Rep. Jenny Armini’s bill  H.3206/S. 2105, The Future of Clean heat in the Commonwealth, does much to promote this very necessary shift.

Sincerely,

Judith Black,

Marblehead