Busting the "natural gas is a bridge fuel" myth
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Itai Vardi reports on Baker’s ties to the fossil fuel industry
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Governor Baker is the only elected official who has refused to speak out against the dangerous compressor station proposal. Why? Likely because he has ties to the fossil fuel industry. Investigative journalist Itai Vardi has a new piece in Desmogblog, uncovering investments that Baker has in the fossil fuel industry. You can read more here: Desmog - As Natural Gas Infrastructure Decisions Loom, Massachusetts Gov. Baker Invests in Fossil Fuel Companies
Read MoreAG Maura Healey says DEP 'bungled' air quality data
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Attorney General Maura Healey stopped by WGBH today and addressed some questions related to the compressor station. This was unexpected but it was great to have her speaking about the issue. In response to the DEP’s dump of a new, 759-page report on the second to last day of our air quality hearing, she said that the DEP ‘“really bungled" air quality testing“‘, and noted that she hasn’t been able to take a position on the issue but acknowledged that ‘“we've been watching this and monitoring the situation”’. You can read more about Attorney General Healey’s comments here: State House News Service - AFTERNOON BRIEFS: "REALLY BUNGLED" | NEW ROTHCHILD ORDER | INCOME SURTAX
Read MoreUpdate: DEP Presiding Officer Grants Extension to Air Quality Hearing
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DEP Presiding Officer Grants Extension to Air Quality Plan Approval Hearing
Weymouth, Mass. (May 30, 2019) - Today, DEP presiding officer Jane Rothchild granted an extension to the petitioners (FRRACS, the Towns of Weymouth, Braintree, and Hingham, the City of Quincy, and the Hingham 10-residents group) in the appeal against the issuance of the air quality plan approval to Algonquin/Spectra/Enbridge for the Weymouth compressor station. The hearing has been scheduled for Monday, June 10 from 9 am-1 pm, and if necessary, on Tuesday, June 11 from 12-5 pm. This was the correct action for the DEP to take. FRRACS thanks Ms. Rothchild for allowing the information withheld by the DEP to be entered into the testimonies of this case and for allowing the further discussion of the toxicity that is present in the Basin into the appeals process.
Read MoreEnbridge submits response to DEP data dump
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In the evening of May 16, DEP released a 759-page report of new/updated air quality data from sampling that was collected in July 2018. This report was released the night before our air quality appeal hearing was scheduled to conclude. On Friday, May 16, our attorney brought DEP’s data dump to the attention of Presiding Officer Jane Rothchild. Ms. Rothchild was unaware of the release of the new report. She was not pleased with DEP’s 11th hour move. She made the decision to allow all of the parties extra time to review the new report, to determine if the hearing should be extended to allow for further testimony.
Algonquin had until today, May 28, to respond to our testimony. The Patriot Ledger reported on Enbridge’s response to our testimony and the DEP’s data dump. You can read it here: Gas company wants compressor appeal to go forward
Read MoreLegislators urge DEP to revoke air quality plan approval
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We are very fortunate to have local elected officials who staunchly support our efforts to stop the project. South Shore legislators are now calling on the DEP to revoke their approval of Enbridge’s air quality plan approval (often referred to as an air quality permit), in light of the new air quality data that show the presence of many toxic pollutants in the Basin, some above state guidelines. You can read more about their new demand here: Weymouth News - Lawmakers urge DEP to revoke Weymouth compressor permit
Read MoreSafety meeting with PHMSA scheduled for June 17
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PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) has agreed to host a listening session in Weymouth on June 17. This will be an important meeting, so we need to pack the room. The meeting will present community members with a space to raise their concerns and to ask questions. We encourage you to attend the event! Come with your questions and concerns. Many thanks to Congressman Lynch for making this meeting happen. We’re fortunate to have local reps who advocate for us.
You can read more about the meeting here: The Patriot Ledger - Hearing on compressor station safety set for June 17
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MassDEP Hearing on Waste Site Cleanup Revisions
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Representing Weymouth at the MassDEP hearing on proposed revisions to regulations about the who, what, where, why, and how of cleaning up toxics in our environment.
MassDEP has prepared revisions to their Massachusetts Contingency Plan ("MCP", 310 CMR 40.0000). The MCP relates to regulations governing the notification, assessment, cleanup and closure of oil and hazardous material disposal sites. You can read their proposed revisions here.
They held a public hearing today, May 23, to solicit input and comments on the proposed changes. FRRACS members attended and provided written and oral testimony. You can watch a video of the testimonies here.
Submit a public comment!
Comments can be submitted by email to bwsc.information@mass.gov or by mail to: Elizabeth Callahan, MassDEP, One Winter Street, Boston, 02108. The public comment period ends July 19, 2019. We need to make sure that the regulations are strengthened. Based on their current proposal, they intend to allow MORE pollution. This is not acceptable.
More info here: https://www.mass.gov/lists/2019-proposed-mcp-revisions
Fore River Delegation urges DEP to reject air quality plan approval
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Legislators from the South Shore sent a follow-up letter to Presiding Officer Jane Rothchild to thank her for granting an extension to the deadline for submission of testimony. In their letter, the delegation expresses the public's loss of confidence in the DEP's permitting and appeals process. They also urge the DEP to reject the air quality plan approval.
Read MoreInvestigative reporting reveals MassDEP withheld data and now permit is in jeapardy
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Last week, MassDEP released a new set of air quality data in the middle of our appeal hearing of Enbridge’s air quality quality plan approval. MassDEP released the new, 750+ page report the night before the hearing was scheduled to conclude. It was a really shocking event. MassDEP claimed that they received the report from the laboratory three days before (Monday, May 13) but waited until Thursday to send it out.
Itai Vardi covered DEP’s recent data dump in Desmog and how it connects to previous reporting. You can read it here: After DeSmog’s Revelations, Enbridge’s Weymouth Gas Facility Air Permit in Jeopardy.
Read MoreAn update on the fight: Unethical behavior, possible sanctions, and more
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What a week it has been! Intense cross-examinations, shady moves by the DEP, and possible sanctions. Our fight is truly picking up a lot of steam. There has been A LOT happening and it can be hard to keep up with everything, so we wanted to give you an overview of where the fight stands today. Read on for a summary!
Read MoreEPA plans to change the way it calculates air pollution health risks
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EPA wants to declare polluted air safe. Sounds familiar to folks following MassDEP permitting. We must hold regulatory agencies accountable to their missions. You can read more about this dangerous proposal here: The New York Times - E.P.A. Plans to Get Thousands of Pollution Deaths Off the Books by Changing Its Math
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Presiding Officer grants 2-day extension for review of new AQ data
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DEP Presiding Officer announced today she will grant an extension to our review of the new air quality data. We now have until this Thursday, May 23 at 5:00 PM to submit testimony on the 759-page report. We want to thank Presiding Officer Rothchild for granting the extension, and the Fore River Delegation for sending a letter yesterday requesting an extension. Our expert witnesses and legal team are diligently reviewing the documents and preparing their response.
Read MoreFore River Delegation requests 2 day extension for AQ hearing testimony
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Today, members of the Fore River Delegation sent a letter to DEP Presiding Officer Jane Rothchild to request an extension to the deadline for us to submit our testimony on the new DEP data.
Read MorePresiding Officer threatens to place sanctions on DEP
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The past week has been a rollercoaster! It’s been just three days since the DEP dumped a new set of data on us. And today we learned that Presiding Officer Jane Rothchild is considering posing sanctions on the DEP in response to their unethical move. She states, “The Department’s delay in disclosing the data to the other parties to the appeal until after the close of business on May 16, 2019, is unacceptable and may warrant the imposition of sanctions against the Department pursuant to 310 CMR 1.01.” She has requested the Department reply to a set a questions by 5 PM tomorrow, May 22. The DEP must inform her of when they first received the data, who received the data, why they waited so long to send it, and did they share the data with Enbridge before sharing it with the petitioners.
You can read more here: Weymouth News - Air quality data for Enbridge questioned (link)
Read MoreGB PSR Call for Baker Governor Baker to Extend Air Quality Appeal
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Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (GBPSR) released a press release today calling on Governor Baker to extend the air quality appeal for the Weymouth compressor station.
We can’t thank GB PSR enough for their advocacy on this issue. They continue to use their voice, expertise, and platform to fight for the health of our community. We are grateful to have their support. You can read their full press release here.
Read MoreBreaking: DEP releases new AQ data two days into hearing
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Around 6 pm last night, the parties in the air quality permit appeal received an email from MassDEP about a new set of air quality data. The report was a whopping 759 pages. The email stated that they had received the data from the lab that they worked with — Alpha Analytical — on Monday evening, but were only sending it out to parties on Thursday. This was a shocking moment.
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