Valley Green Withdraws Proposal for Natural Gas Facility in Lebanon

Utilities firm Valley Green Natural Gas formally withdrew its proposal Thursday to build a natural gas facility in Lebanon. The news comes on the heels of an agreement between the firm and competitor Liberty Utilities, which will allow the later company to continue in its efforts to become the region’s primary supplier of natural gas.

Liberty Utilities will now ask the Public Utilities Commission to reopen its petition to establish a gas distribution facility in the Upper Valley, after having asked the state to suspend the process while it negotiated with Valley Green.

Liberty spokesman John Shore announced in a press release that Valley Green has “withdrawn their petition for franchise rights and are supporting the Liberty Utilities petition that is now before the Public Utilities Commission.”

It was not immediately known when the commission will issue a response to the petition, which has been opposed by environmental groups who question the suitability of natural gas.