The Lebanon City Council voted Wednesday to amend the city's master plan, removing references to natural gas as a favored energy source. The move is largely symbolic, but it reflects growing concern around the environmental impact of natural gas.
Residents in the Upper Valley are organizing to fight a proposal by Liberty Utilities for a new natural gas facility and pipeline running through Lebanon and Hanover. The state Public Utilities Commission is slated to hear that proposal in September.
In the meantime, opponents of the project are celebrating recent commitments by Dartmouth and the Town of Hanover to move toward renewable fuels.
The Lebanon City Council's vote Wednesday was not directly linked to Liberty Utilities' proposal. But several residents took advantage of the meeting to urge more direct action by city officials on that project. "Get as creative as you like, but make it impossible for that pipeline to happen," said resident Darla Bruno.
