Action Item: Call Your Reps to Support EJ Bill

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Action Item: Call Your Reps to Support EJ Bill

FRRACS is supporting the new environmental justice bill, H.2913 An act relative to environmental justice and toxics reduction in the Commonwealth. H. 2913 reported favourably out of committee and has been referred to the committee on House Ways and Means. We encourage you to contact your representatives asking them to support this bill, as there are environmental justice communities located near the proposed compressor site

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Patriot Ledger Coverage of Air Permit Deadline

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Patriot Ledger Coverage of Air Permit Deadline

Last weekend brought big news: MassDEP has until January 2019 to make a decision about Spectra/Enbridge's air permit. This will allow the state to have some breathing room while they conduct a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in the Fore River Basin. This does not mean that our fight is over, but it is good news nonetheless. The Ledger covered this story over the weekend.

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Air Permit Review Given Deadline of Jan. 2019

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Air Permit Review Given Deadline of Jan. 2019

We have some important news to share with you regarding Spectra/Enbridge's air permit. It was announced today that MassDEP has until January 11, 2019 to issue, deny or condition the air permit. If there is an appeal, MassDEP will have to issue a final decision by June 28, 2019. This is great news as it gives the state time to conduct a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and time to conduct a full permit review.

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New FERC commissioner held many meetings with fossil fuel companies

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New FERC commissioner held many meetings with fossil fuel companies

Surprise, surprise, surprise! Recently appointed FERC Commissioner, Rob Powelson, has spent a fair amount of his time meeting with industry people. Journalist Itai Vardi provides detail on his findings in his new piece, FERC Commissioner Rob Powelson Spent Much of His First Months in Office Meeting With the Fossil Fuel Industry. You can read the full article here.

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Action Item: Write a Letter to the Boston Globe

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Action Item: Write a Letter to the Boston Globe

On Monday, February 13, the Boston Globe published an editorial about pipelines and LNG imports titled, "Our Russian ‘pipeline,’ and its ugly toll". 

The article is long and filled with too much misinformation for us to list. So, we have a big favor to ask--can you take a moment to write a letter to the Globe? The editorial is available here (if you can't access it, please let us know). For rules on how to write a letter to the editor at the Globe, click here.

 

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Submit Comments to CZM!

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Submit Comments to CZM!

Comments to CZM are needed! Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is reviewing Spectra's project (though this review has been on hold for more than a year) and recently asked Spectra/Enbridge to answer questions about the Atlantic Bridge project. CZM is accepting comments on Enbridge's answers. The deadline for public comments is Friday, February 23. Comments need to be sent in the mail. Click here to access Enbridge's responses

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Update on Wetlands Case - Motion to Keep the Stay

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Since Judge Casper in Federal Court sided with Spectra/Enbridge and against the Town/Weymouth Conservation Commission for denying the wetlands permit, Spectra/Enbridge has now filed a motion with MASSDEP to remove all stays. We wanted to inform you that the local intervenor group is opposing their motion to remove the stay and have asked the Presiding Officer (Jane Rothchild) to continue the stay.

The Intervenors to Protect the Environment sent a motion today to the Office of Appeals and Dispute Resolution at MassDEP. We want the stay to continue and Spectra/Enbridge does not. You can read the intervenors motion here.  We will keep you updated on this matter.

Many thanks to Margaret B. and others for their effort on this!

Cold weather does not require more pipelines

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Cold weather does not require more pipelines

After the cold snap we experienced last week, you may be hearing the argument that this is why we need more fracked gas and pipelines. This argument is not at all true. There is absolutely no need to build new fossil fuel infrastructure for a peak in energy use a few days a year. The Conservation Law Foundation explains it well in their piece, Cold Snap Shows We Still Don’t Need New Gas Pipelines.

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Submit PIP Comments by Friday, Jan. 5 at 5PM!

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Submit PIP Comments by Friday, Jan. 5 at 5PM!

Very short notice, but we're hoping folks can quickly submit comments regarding the Public Involvement Plan (PIP) for the oil contamination at the proposed compressor site.

Comments are due this Friday, January 5 at 5pm to Kelley Race of TRC (Krace@trcsolutions.com ).

You can use this form (PDF; Word doc) of sample questions to submit to Kelley Race.

More info about the PIP is available here on our site.

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Pipeline blowdown in Western Mass.

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Pipeline blowdown in Western Mass.

Last month an unannounced pipeline blowdown rocked the town of Richmond, MA. The Berkshire Eagle reported that residents heard a noise that "sounded like a thousand jets flying overhead". The smell of gas permeated throughout the area and was described as "overwhelming." Residents were terrified and had no idea what was going on. Many called the police and the company that runs the Kinder Morgan pipeline. After 40 minutes, the blowdown ended. No one was injuried, but many were left feeling scared. You can read the full story here.

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FERC denies request for rehearing

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FERC denies request for rehearing

Unfortunately, in the land of FERC, there is no break for the holidays. FERC issued it's denial of our request for a hearing regarding the Certificate of Conditional Approval. You can read the 71-page document here. In January of this year, FERC granted Spectra/Enbridge "Conditional Approval" to begin construction of Atlantic Bridge, despite lacking a handful of permits. We hired an attorney, Carolyn Elefant, in January, and filed an appeal with a host of other groups and towns. We are consulting Carolyn today and how to proceed. We will keep you updated.

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Action Item: Email MassDEP

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Action Item: Email MassDEP

As a follow-up to Dr. Nordgaard's letter to MassDEP (read more about that here), we are asking folks to send an email to MassDEP staff. Phone calls are great, but we haven't had much success getting in contact with staff via phone. But don't let that stop you from making a phone call if that is your preference.

You are welcome to use the sample letter below, or you can write your own. Letters can be emailed to: Millie.Garcia-Serrano@state.ma.us, Gary.Moran@state.ma.us, thomas.cushing@state.ma.us, christine.kirby@state.ma.us

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