Iroquois ExC Project would hinder State’s emissions reduction goals and pose risks to public health
New Haven, CT—Save the Sound attorneys urged the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to deny permit applications for a natural gas compressor station in Brookfield. The proposed Iroquois ExC Project would drastically increase greenhouse gas emissions and pose profound risks to public health in both Connecticut and New York.
The Iroquois Pipeline spans over 400 miles, running from upstate New York through Connecticut and across Long Island Sound. Six Connecticut municipalities lie along its path: New Milford, Brookfield, Newtown, Monroe, Shelton, and Milford. From the operation of the Brookfield Compressor Station alone, the Iroquois ExC Project would result in additional CO2 emissions totaling over 80,000 metric tons per year, directly interfering with the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), which requires Connecticut to reduce emissions to at least 46 percent below 2001 levels by January 1, 2030.
“According to the latest greenhouse gas inventory, Connecticut is nowhere near on track to meet this limit,” said Jessica Roberts, staff attorney at Save the Sound. “If serious about meeting the 2030 Emission Limit, the State must not only actively seek opportunities to decrease emissions but also deny projects to increase them… In short, the ExC project would substantially increase emissions at a time when Connecticut must take unprecedented action to reduce them. This reason alone warrants a denial of the ExC Project.”
Both compressor stations in Connecticut are within one mile of a state-designated Environmental Justice Block Group. By increasing emissions and strain on the Iroquois pipeline, the ExC Project would pose serious risks to these communities, including exposure to air pollutants that increase human mortality rates and aggravate respiratory conditions. The compressor stations would also increase the pipeline’s susceptibility to leaks and ruptures, the impacts of which could be catastrophic.
In May, Save the Sound warned the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that the Iroquois ExC Project would also make it difficult for that state to achieve its own greenhouse gas reduction commitments.