Vermont Gas has scheduled an "open house" meeting tomorrow night (May 8), 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon. (Link) Company employees will be available to meet one-on-one with local residents at "topic tables" to discuss various aspects of natural gas efficiency and the plan to bring natural gas service to Rutland County.
Vermont Gas says the pipeline project will reduce reliance on oil and propane and could result in an energy cost savings of up to 50 percent for Rutland County homes and businesses. Phase I of the project, approved in December, is designed to transport natural gas from Colchester to Middlebury. Phase II is planned to extend the pipeline from Middlebury to the west, through the towns of Cornwall and Shoreham and under Lake Champlain, to provide service to the International Paper mill in Ticonderoga, New York. That phase is strongly opposed by residents of the affected towns.
According to the gas company, an agreement with International Paper will provide $45 million toward the construction of an additional length of pipeline in Phase III, allowing Rutland County to be served by natural gas by the year 2020. Without the extension to Ticonderoga, the company says it will take about 15 more years to connect to Rutland.
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