Lamont Meets Brookfield Selectman on Iroquois Pipeline Project

Gov. Ned Lamont met Monday with Brookfield First Selectman Steve Dunn to discuss a proposed natural gas compressor expansion that has drawn fierce opposition from residents at the western edge of Fairfield County.

The meeting, held at the state Capitol, centered on the Iroquois pipeline’s “Enhancement by Compression” project, which would add two gas-fired compressors to an existing station in Brookfield. The compressors would push an additional 125 million cubic feet of natural gas through the Iroquois pipeline each day, according to project filings with the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Dunn, a Democrat, has emerged as one of the loudest local voices against the project. His concern isn’t the pipeline itself. It’s the air. Critics argue the gas-powered turbines would pump pollutants into a region that has chronically failed to meet federal air quality standards, and environmental groups say the project locks Connecticut into fossil fuel infrastructure at odds with the state’s own clean-energy commitments.

A “Constructive Alternative”

Dunn came to the meeting pushing a specific fix: swap the gas-fired compressors for electric ones. As he left the governor’s office, he told CT Mirror the conversation had gone well, and that Lamont appeared supportive of the electric-compressor alternative.

“He said he was going to help us, and I believe him,” Dunn said.

Lamont, speaking shortly after Dunn left, called the proposal a “constructive alternative” but drew a careful line about his own role in the permitting process. He said he didn’t plan to discuss the project with DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes.

“He’s come up with an alternative and I hope, you know, DEEP considers it,” Lamont said. “But I’m not supposed to weigh in, so I won’t.”

Cathryn Vaulman, a spokesperson in Lamont’s office, provided a written statement after the meeting. “Governor Lamont had a productive meeting with First Selectman Steve Dunn today regarding the Iroquois Natural Gas Compressor station,” Vaulman said. “The Governor listened to the concerns Brookfield residents have about the project, and he encourages the Iroquois Gas Transmission System to use the best available technology at this station and commission an air quality test as an olive branch to the town.”

A spokesperson for Iroquois declined to comment on the meeting.

A Decision Already Delayed

DEEP is now the deciding body, and it hasn’t moved quickly. The agency issued a pair of draft decisions last July signaling its intention to approve the air quality permits for the compressor station. A final decision had been scheduled for April 13, but DEEP pushed that deadline back to allow more time to review public comments.

The delay gave opponents more room to organize. Iroquois’ owners are still waiting on the final permit call.

Iroquois officials have resisted calls to switch to electric compressors. That’s a significant sticking point, because Lamont’s encouragement carries no enforcement weight. DEEP operates independently on permitting decisions, and the governor made clear he intends to keep his distance from Dykes on this one.

What It Means for Fairfield County

Brookfield sits in the northern tier of Fairfield County, far from the Gold Coast but still subject to the regional air quality problems that have plagued southwestern Connecticut for decades. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tracks ozone and particulate levels across Connecticut, and Fairfield County has repeatedly landed on nonattainment lists. Adding fossil fuel combustion to that region isn’t a theoretical risk for residents. It’s a documented one.

The electric compressor alternative that Dunn pitched isn’t technically unheard of. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has seen similar proposals in other pipeline proceedings around the country, though Iroquois has pushed back on the approach for this project.

For Lamont, Monday’s meeting was carefully managed. He showed up, heard Dunn out, and lent his name to the idea of better technology and an air quality test. He didn’t call Dykes. He didn’t promise to block the permits. What he offered Brookfield was encouragement, and whether that shifts anything at DEEP will depend entirely on how the agency weighs the public record it’s still reviewing.

Dunn said he believed the governor. The permits are still pending.