We wrapped up the second day of our air quality appeal hearing day today. What a day it was! It’s amazing how exhausting these hearings can be. We finished Enbridge’s cross-examination of the petitioner’s witnesses (Weymouth, Braintree, and FRRACS) and began cross-examination of Enbridge’s witnesses. Read on for a summer of today’s testimonies.

The moment that we have been waiting for is officially here. Our lawyers and expert witnesses have spent a lot of time preparing for the hearing on our appeal of Enbridge’s air quality permit. We honestly can’t thank our incredible team enough for all that they’ve put into this fight. Today was really intense! Our witnesses held nothing back, and it was quite clear that Enbridge’s lawyers were not prepared. There were some really amazing exchanges, including Nathan Phillips calling out DEP’s unethical moves. We will have video footage of everything soon. Read more for a complete recap on the day’s testimonies.

Governor Baker can run but he can’t hide! We know Baker does not want to speak with his constituents. He has made that very clear. But that doesn’t mean we are going to let him off the hook. It’s time for the Governor to listen to his constituents and actually do something to address climate issues in this state. He continues to throw the compressor station issue into other people’s hands, but he has power over this issue. We’re really glad folks from Mothers out Front were able to catch him at the airport today. He looked so pleased!

Dr. Phil Landrigan speaks about the health and safety risks of the proposed compressor station. We should have a video of his talk soon — stay tuned.

We applaud the medical community and public health experts for bringing attention to the dangers that this facility poses.

Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility - Flammable, High-Pressure Industry in a Populated Coastal Flood Zone?

You can read their latest report here. We thank GBPSR for their continued advocacy on this issue.

Hoping the Governor Baker picked up the State House News today. We are not backing down on this.

The State House News covered our efforts to file a complaint with the State Ethics Commission. You can read more here.

FRRACS sent a letter to the state ethics commission in regards to Matthew Beaton’s departure from the EEA to the consulting firm TRC. We find Beaton’s transition from the EEA to TRC to be very suspicious.

Ed Baker covered this story for The Weymouth News.

We need your help. MassDEP withheld data that showed elevated levels of carcinogens and other toxic chemicals in the Basin. Call or Email the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General to file a complaint.

More details on this matter and sample talking points have been provided below by Nathan Phillips.

Contact:  Alice Arena, nocompressor@gmail.com

For Immediate Release

The Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station have filed a request with the State Ethics Commission Executive Director David Wilson to investigate the recent departure of Secretary of Energy and Environment Matthew Beaton to TRC Environmental.

Funny thing--when FRRACS sent out our canisters to EPA approved labs, the results of the testing were sent to us within two weeks. As Itai reports, the DEP had the results of their testing available to them within two weeks at the Rhode Island State labs had they only picked up the phone in August. They clearly did not want to know what they were going to find out about our air quality. They clearly do not care about our health.

Thank you, Cambridge City Council, for passing a policy statement on May 6, expressing strong opposition to the proposed compressor station, and communicating that position to state legislators and Gov. Baker. Thank you, Mothers Out Front for the pre-Council visibility, and for testifying in favor of the policy, along with FRRACS Board member Rev. Betsy Sowers from Old Cambridge Baptist Church.

Reverend Betsy Sowers talks about the potential health impacts of the proposed compressor station, and the impact that it could have on existing environmental justice communities. You can watch the video here. Many, many thanks to filmmaker Bob Gifford and our own Rev. Betsy Sowers.

Representative Meschino filed a bill in January that would reset state emissions to zero by 2050. We’re grateful for Rep. Meschino’s leadership on this effort. You can read more about the proposed bill here: Conservation Law Foundation - New Law Would Create Roadmap to Reach Net Zero Emissions by 2050

Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility interviewed FRRACS Board member, Frank Singleton, about the safety risks that the compressor station would pose. You can watch his interview here. Many thanks to GBPSR and Bob Gifford for making this video.

Sec. Beaton's departure to TRC does not pass the smell test. Jessica Trufant covers this story in The Patriot Ledger. Thank you for your continued and excellent reporting, Jessica! You can read the full article here: The Patriot Ledger - Top regulator to work for firm with ties to compressor proposal

Gov. Baker is trying to pull a fast one by saying the burning of wood and trash is clean energy to be placed in the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). We know you're shocked. Sign this petition to put a stop to this.

To learn more about this issue, visit the Partnership for Policy Integrity (PFPI) website. There will be 3 MassDOER hearings on this issue. We encourage you to attend! Find out more here.

It was announced today that Environment Secretary Matthew Beaton will be leaving his role as Environment Secretary to join the consulting firm TRC as a senior vice president. Yes, this is the same firm that has worked for Enbridge on the compressor station project. Beaton will be replaced by Kathleen Theoharides, a former conservation consultant.

You can read more about this new development here: Desmog - After Approving Enbridge Permit, Massachusetts’ Environment Secretary Lands Job with Project’s Contractor

FRRACS was presented with an award for outstanding activism at the Local Environmental Action conference this past weekend. We feel lucky to have such a great team working on this effort! The fight against the compressor station takes all of us.

Stranded assets are now a reality, not just speculation any more. Let's hope ISO New England is paying attention.

A gas plant in Indiana has been rejected by regulators due to concerns related to stranded assets. You can read more here: Utility Dive - Indiana regulators reject Vectren gas plant over stranded asset concerns

It seems that our friends at the Department of Enabling Polluters (DEP) hid some evidence from us when they did their limited time canister testing in the Basin. You can go here to see the full report.