Local

8 protesters arrested at Massachusetts gas pipeline project

Protestors ran a chain across one of the main access points for workers on the Tennessee Gas Pipeline project at the Otis State Forest in Sandisfield last month. Stephanie Zollshan / The Berkshire Eagle via AP

By Associated Press

SANDISFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Massachusetts State Police say eight demonstrators were arrested for trespassing into restricted areas at a natural gas pipeline project.

Police say the protesters were arrested Saturday at Otis State Forest in Sandisfield without incident. They were among others protesting an easement that allows the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. to widen its right of way through the forest.

Police say the demonstration was peaceful.

The federally-approved Connecticut Expansion Project extends existing pipeline infrastructure in Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut, adding 4 miles of new underground pipeline in Massachusetts.