Islander East Pipeline Benefits and Losses

Nature trail near pipeline route not reasonable
August 20th, 2003

To the editor:
The extensive description in the Branford Review (August 9, 2003) of Mr. Timothy Brockett's proposal to the Army Corps of Engineers at its recent hearing at the Branford High School requires the same response that I gave to the Army Corps representatives.
The proposed location of the pipeline right-of-way is not suitable for the nature trail proposed by Mr. Brockett for two of the reasons that it is not suitable for the pipeline.
First, it lies immediately next to the working Tilcon railroad track and crosses under the track several times. Tilcon is justifiably concerned about safety and forbids access to its property in order to reduce the risk of injury to people wandering near the track when trains are passing.
Second, the pipeline route goes through numerous wetlands that would be damaged by the presence of a pedestrian trail such as that proposed by Mr. Brockett.
Mr. Brockett said that he formulated his proposal after walking the pipeline route. I wonder how someone who has walked the pipeline route, particularly when the trains are running, could think that such a proposal is reasonable.

Bill Horne
246 Pleasant Point Road
Editor's note: Bill Horne is President of Citizens for Branford's Environment and Conservation Commissioner of the Town of Branford. He was a member of Branford's Blue-Ribbon Committee to evaluate the Islander East Pipeline application.
©Branford Review 2003

Many uses for pipeline "right of way" possible
August 27th, 2003

To the editor:
While researching the Islander East natural gas pipeline proposal I came across a letter written by Bill Horne, then President of the Branford Land Trust, on their web site. He described the Branford Steam railroad corridor "like a country road" with "large trees growing beside the tracks (that) form a nearly complete canopy over the track and shade the wetlands." His bucolic description inspired me to walk the proposed pipeline route that roughly parallels the Branford Steam Railroad's track. Thus, I was surprised that in the August 20 Branford Review Bill Horne characterized a nature trail along the same tracks as unreasonable.
The proposed Islander East pipeline route through Branford would require 30 property owners to grant a permanent easement for the pipeline right of way, to Islander East. The affected parcels would remain the property of the original owners. However, Islander East would give them a check, based on fair market value, to compensate them for their loss of use.
Three of the properties belong to the Branford Land Trust and pose a special problem. The mission of the Branford Land Trust is to "preserve open space in Branford and to promote our community's appreciation of Branford's diverse natural features." It is impossible, in the short term, to preserve land and run a pipeline through it.
Islander East responded to the Land Trust's concerns by conducting an existing plant inventory on the three properties. They compiled an extensive construction, restoration and invasive species control plan and have promised to monitor the Land Trust parcels for three years after the pipeline is built. This is not a perfect solution but there may be a silver lining to this cloud.
I believe that the proposed pipeline offers an opportunity for the Branford Land Trust to extend their holdings and fulfill the latter half of their mission statement. Many of the properties affected will lose only a narrow ribbon of land that abuts the railroad right of way. The property owners, with an Islander East compensation check in hand and the possibility of a tax deduction for a charitable contribution, might be quite responsive to donating their affected land and perhaps a little more, to the Branford Land Trust. As majority or sole owner of the pipeline right of way, the Branford Land Trust could promote our community's appreciation of Branford's diverse natural features by working with other civic groups and our government, to establish a four-mile long linear park and nature trail. In time, this trail could connect to other properties held in the public trust and showcase the abundant natural beauty of Branford.
A pipeline nature trail could be modeled after the popular Trolley nature trail from Juniper to Pleasant Point. Track safety concerns were addressed and Tilcon responded with good corporate citizenship. A carefully designed trail was successfully built across sensitive wetlands for everyone to enjoy. Many other uses of the pipeline right of way are possible. The ideas are limited only by the imaginations of the people involved.

Timothy Brockett
BranfordPipeline.com

©Branford Review 2003

Safety issues abound in idea for Land Trust trail
September 3rd, 2003

To the editor:
In his August 27 "Letter to the Editor," ("Many uses for pipeline 'right of way' possible," Branford Review) Mr. Brockett seems to misunderstand the nature of the route of the Islander East natural gas pipeline. His idea for a linear trail following the proposed pipeline easement sounds idyllic and credible until one looks at the facts.
Mr. Brockett recalls Bill Horne's comments that the route is "like a country road" with "large trees growing beside the tracks (that) form a nearly complete canopy over the track." It's true, the Branford Steam Railway route is heavily wooded, providing shade for the stream and wetlands running alongside the tracks. The pipeline construction would, however, completely change this idyllic setting forever.
The pipeline easement clear-cuts 25-50 feet along the route, which not only completely changes the ambiance, but removes the protective cover for the wetlands, exposing the wetlands to the drying and heating of direct sunlight and making them vulnerable to invasive plants. In most places, the Islander East restoration plan is nothing more than scattering some grass seed to reduce erosion, then waiting to see what comes up.
While the restoration plan for Land Trust property is a big improvement over Islander East's typical minimalist approach, it will still result in the permanent transformation of land that is supposed to be protected from development. The areas of "temporary" disturbance may take as long as 150 years to return to their current state, according to the Environmental Impact Statement.
The second and larger issue is the fact that the proposed trail would be adjacent to an active railway - one of the most active in Connecticut. The proposed pipeline, in fact, crosses the railway tracks multiple times as it runs through Branford. Some trails do run along rail beds - but abandoned beds, not active railways.
The safety issue is immeasurable, and it is hard to imagine a more dangerous route for a Land Trust trail. If the IE pipeline is constructed, the serene setting of shaded wetland and streams becomes at best an unsafe clear-cut pipeline easement. These facts were very clearly stated both at the August 5 Army Corps of Engineers Public Hearing and in Mr. Horne's August 20 "Letter to the Editor" ("Nature trail near pipeline route not reasonable," Branford Review) explaining quite clearly why such a trail is not feasible.
Perhaps Mr. Brockett has taken a page from the Islander East playbook, and totally ignores facts when the fiction just sounds so much better.

Joan Merrick
President, Branford Land Trust

©Branford Review 2003