Session Laws

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose which is to immediately authorize the department of environmental management to grant an additional twenty foot easement for the expansion of gas transmission lines across land of the commonwealth to increase the supply of natural gas, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

The division of capital planning and operations, acting in consultation with the department of environmental management for and on behalf of the commonwealth, is hereby authorized to grant by deed approved as to form by the attorney general to the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, a division of Tenneco, Inc., a permanent easement of a twenty foot wide strip adjacent to, and in addition to, the existing easement of the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company across certain land under the control of the department.

Said lands, presently being used for conservation purposes, are situated in the county of Hampden, and are described in a plan of land entitled "Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, a Proposed Right-of-Way Crossing, Brimfield State Forest Property, Hampden County, Massachusetts, TB-L12-T200-2-49" on file with the department of environmental management, which shall be recorded with the registry of deeds in Hampden county.

Said easement shall be used for the installation and maintenance of additional gas transmission lines which shall be installed underground, together with appliances and appurtenances necessary thereto.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, in payment for said additional easement shall transfer to the commonwealth in fee simple, a parcel of land determined by said division and said department to be equivalent to or in excess of the value of the easement granted, or, if said division in consultation with said department so decides, shall pay a fair market value price to be determined by one or more independent appraisals approved by the deputy commissioner of the division of capital planning and operations and the costs thereof to be assumed by said Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company.