A state official in Massachusetts has decided the Eversource energy company has more work to do before a proposed gas pipeline between Longmeadow and Springfield can be approved.
Eversource says the new pipeline is needed because the current system is old and could fail.
The company submitted a required draft environmental impact statement to the state but Rebecca Tepper, the secretary of energy and environmental affairs, said it left questions unanswered.
Susan Theberge, who's with the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition, said she's thrilled with the decision.
"We're in the middle of a climate emergency. Building a new gas pipeline is the last thing we should be doing," she said. "We feel like we really absolutely cannot be adding any new dirty energy."
In a written statement, an Eversource spokesperson said the pipeline is not an expansion project but would enhance reliability for customers.
She also said the company would continue to work with regulators and stakeholders to meet all requirements of the review process.
The state has told Eversource it should submit another environmental impact report with the information required, and it wants the company to hold at least one public meeting in Springfield to discuss the impacts of the project.
