A Massachusetts Superior Court has ruled that the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company can take part of a state forest in Western Massachusetts by eminent domain for its natural gas pipeline.
The ruling by the Berkshire Superior Court came down in favor of the company owned by Kinder Morgan that has been attempting to build natural gas pipelines throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The company had sued the state after the state refused to allow it to build a natural gas pipeline through the Otis State Forest in Otis.
According to MassLive.com, the ruling gives the company access to the area to conduct surveys for the 13-mile Connecticut Expansion pipeline. This is a separate pipeline from the 420 mile interstate pipeline that Kinder Morgan has suspended work on, but activists feel the ruling on this shorter pipeline could set a precedent.
“Today’s decision is a big disappointment. It’s a win for corporate profiteering at the expense of protecting the state’s natural resources,” Karina Wilkinson, the Massachusetts coordinator for the Food & Water Watch, said in a statement.
