In less that two weeks, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will host a public hearing about a methane gas compressor station in Oxford, Connecticut. This is the same station that had an accident earlier this summer and released a significant amount of pollution into local air.

Enbridge must be held accountable, and this hearing is our opportunity to weigh in and make our voices heard.

Just over two months ago, on Sunday, July 12th around midnight, residents of Middlebury, Oxford, and Naugatuck were awoken by a loud, jet-engine-like noise, when a blowdown (a large release of methane gas into the air) occurred at this Enbridge-owned compressor station, a site where methane gas is pressurized to be transported along pipelines. These stations emit toxic pollutants, which are linked to a number of health conditions like asthma, heart disease, and certain cancers.

This blowdown, which took place at around midnight, was entirely unattended, with no Enbridge staff on site. When firefighters arrived, they had to wait for the arrival of an Enbridge technician to resolve the issue. Following the incident, residents were able to smell a considerable difference in the air quality.

Pollutants emitted by compressor stations and other fossil fuel infrastructure have long been pernicious, lingering in our communities and slowly but surely threatening public health and the environment. According to a 2023 paper, “An estimated 5.13 million…excess deaths per year globally are attributable to ambient air pollution from fossil fuel use and therefore could potentially be avoided by phasing out fossil fuels.” Research has also found that “Greater amounts of VOC emissions from natural gas pipeline compressor stations were associated with higher age-adjusted mortality rates.”

The Oxford compressor station is just one of the five compressor stations in Connecticut. Four of them are on the Enbridge pipeline that runs through Connecticut. Enbridge, one of the continent’s leading oil and gas transmission corporations, has an extensive history of noncompliance with environmental protection standards, including within Connecticut.

In 2014 and 2016, their Cromwell site was found to have reported excess emissions of volatile organic compounds, which are known to be injurious to our health. Seven years after the company first started violating their emissions limit, Enbridge was forced to pay nearly $200,000 for noncompliance with emissions standards. 

These regulations and standards exist to protect the environment, but critically, us.

Enbridge’s blatant disregard for regulations meant to keep us safe is emblematic of the fact that fossil fuel corporation interests are not in our best interest. The best explanation for this disregard is that Enbridge simply does not care about anything beyond its own profit.  A $200,000 fine, relative to Enbridge’s income of $5.8 billion in  2021 comes out to roughly 0.003%, a trivial amount.  To someone making $100,000 in a year (which is roughly twice the average household income in Hartford), that would be the same as $3.

Despite the harm that Enbridge’s compressor stations and pipelines have caused, Enbridge shows no signs of stopping. The corporation’s Project R.A.R.E (Reliable Affordable Resilient Enhancement) is already underway, alongside plans to increase capacity at the Cromwell compressor station where they previously failed to meet regulatory requirements. On top of this, they have proposed Project Beacon, which will likely also expand compressor stations.

The information is all in front of us. Under the guise of increasing energy supply, these pipeline and compressor expansion projects pose undeniable risks to our health and safety. These risks are amplified when those in charge have little regard for anything beyond profit, least of all public health.

Study after study tells us that fossil fuel emissions cause irreparable damage to our health and our planet. Coupled with individuals in power who don’t care to look past financial incentive, fossil fuel usage has led us into a crisis that becomes increasingly difficult and costly to rectify. Stronger public health is in the interest of the public, while Enbridge’s interest is its own private profit. 

Fortunately, while the problem is clear, we possess the remedies. A transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is long overdue. While this may not be profitable for energy companies like Enbridge, there is no greater profit to our communities than living happier, healthier, and longer lives.

Please join me in making your voice heard and demanding stricter regulation and air monitoring of the Oxford Compressor Station.

Syed Noorwez is a student at Wesleyan University.