State House News - Ethics of Beaton's Move to Energy Consultant Questioned

FRRACS is very concerned about Matthew Beaton’s ethics violation after departing from the EEA for TRC, a consulting agency for Enbridge. As we’ve stated before, we have shared information with Beaton about the compressor station that he could now be sharing with TRC. The State House News covered our efforts to file a complaint with the State Ethics Commission. You can read more here.

Excerpt from the State House News (Katie Lannan):

“Beaton, a former state representative who had served in the Baker administration since 2015, stepped down as secretary last week to become senior vice president of renewable energy and emerging technology at TRC Companies. TRC Companies, a Lowell-based national environmental consulting firm, has a client list that includes many utilities and fossil fuel companies and has done work on Enbridge Energy's Weymouth compressor station project.

On Tuesday, a group that has been fighting the controversial Weymouth project, Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station, wrote a letter to Ethics Commission Executive Director David Wilson, voicing concerns "about the appearance of unethical behavior by former Sec. Beaton" leading up to his job change.

The letter said Beaton had oversight of departments in his secretariat involved in the permitting of the compressor station and was "privy to all appeals, information and confidential communications between FRRACS, our attorneys and these departments."‘