The debate over a proposed natural gas pipeline across northern Massachusetts reached Beacon Hill on Tuesday. Several hundred people converged on the Boston Common to object to the plan.
One of the protestors is Carolyn Sellars, who says her family's owned land in Winchedon since 1901.
"My family has protected for 113 years now and we got a notice from Kinder Morgan that they want to bring a pipeline right straight through our one hundred acres of land," she said.
Kinder Morgan is looking to run a pipeline through northern Massachusetts to the Boston area, an idea that's stirred up a lot of landowner and environmentalist opposition.
This all comes as New England governors, including Massachusetts' Deval Patrick - have been promoting additional natural gas capacity as a way to bring down energy prices.
Asked about this specific proposal, Patrick notes Kinder Morgan has yet to formally apply for federal approval. But he says he's skeptical about the route the company has suggested.
“One wonders why they want to use a new right of way when they already have an existing right of way,” he said.
An existing right of way like the Mass Pike, Route 2 or a pipeline that already runs across the southern part of the state.
