November 23, 2021
Michael Berg, Sierra Club Missouri Chapter Political Director
The St. Louis area monopoly gas utility Spire has undertaken a remarkably dishonest fear based campaign intended to scare its customers into advocating against their best interests. Spire built an unnecessary pipeline that has negatively affected the environment, landowners on its route and its own customers. There was no need to do so based on the demand for gas in the St. Louis area. The original approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) was wrongly decided in a close 3-2 decision. This isn't my opinion - this is the opinion of America's highest courts. The courts clearly and unambiguously stated that given the evidence shown to FERC, the Spire STL pipeline should never have been built. Spire's wrongly built Spire STL pipeline is part of a nationwide pattern of self-dealing that the methane gas industry has been using to build multiple unnecessarily pipelines, at a significant environmental cost.
The court decision was made after a successful lawsuit where metro St. Louis area landowners were represented by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). In response, Spire made no real effort to shift service away from the now illegal Spire STL pipeline and towards other options. (A good summary of the issue can be found here). Instead, Spire instigated a massive and continuing PR campaign falsely scaring politicians and ordinary people into thinking that because of the lawsuit the pipeline might be shut down this winter and people might freeze to death in St. Louis. This included a deceptive email sent to all of its customers that told them their comfort and safety was threatened by "a New York based environmental group". Despite what Spire is saying, there is no chance the pipeline will be shut down for this winter. There is no chance that people will freeze this winter because of this lawsuit. Nobody, including the EDF, supports shutting down the pipeline this winter. All of the FERC Commissioners support extending pipeline autorization for the upcoming of the winter. It will happen. Spire executives are engaging in a cynical campaign to fully and indefinitely profit from their illegal pipeline at our expense, and to deflect attention from their own bad decision to build it. If Spire was truly concerned about customers freezing this winter, it would issue a moritorium on shutting off people's gas service - something within its immediate power. If Spire was truly worried about a massive calamity during the winter, it probably wouldn't have just issued a dividend increase to its shareholders.
The consequences of Spire's deceptive PR effort are huge. It has caused unnecessary anxiety, panic and fear for people throughout the St. Louis area. For some this has led to anger and threats at the Environmental Defense Fund. This is unfair - Spire executives are the people who should be blamed for the multiple terrible decisions they have made at the expense of the well-being of their customers and the environment.
Addendum: On Friday, December 3 2021, FERC granted an extention to Spire's opperating permit for the Spire STL pipeline. As this article demonstrates, this outcome was never in doubt. Spire knowingly and needlessly frightened it customers with its emails and deceptive PR campaign.