This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandisfield, Mass. • A company that wants to run a natural gas pipeline through a Massachusetts state forest has agreed to pay $1.2 million for the right.
The agreement announced Thursday settles a lawsuit brought by Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan. The company wants an easement through Otis State Forest in Sandisfield to expand an existing pipeline.
The federally-approved Connecticut Expansion Project extends existing pipeline infrastructure in Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut, adding 4 miles of new underground pipeline in Massachusetts.
The settlement includes $300,000 for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation to acquire additional conservation land in the area; $300,000 toward mitigation and improvements to the forest; $40,000 for the fair market value of pipeline easements; and an additional $640,000 for environmental monitors and other mitigation.