We gathered today in response to Commissioner Suuberg’s decision to give the green light to the Air Quality permit based on the faulty judgement of the presiding officer. Nearly 50 people stood on the Fore River Bridge as dozens of cars drove by, honking their horns in support of the fight. We had a burma shade of signs indicating the pollutants that are present in the Basin: “You are now breathing toluene, 1,3-butadiene, 1, 4-dioxane, benzene, and formaldehyde.” Many thanks to everyone who came out in the heat to lend their support!

DEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg announced today that he will adopt the Presiding Officer's recommendation to approve the AQ permit. The petitioners (this includes FRRACS) will have seven days to file for a reconsideration. Our statement on this matter is available below.

The fight continues, folks. We won't stop until the project is dead.

Twenty-nine state senators sent a letter to Commissioner Suuberg and Governor Baker in an effort to put a stop to the compressor station proposal. You can read more about it here: State House News Service - COMPRESSOR OPPONENTS GAIN BIG NEW ALLY: MASS. SENATE

It is not possible for us to thank all of the Senators enough for this bipartisan effort to end this nightmare in our communities.

Today, 29 member of the Massachusetts State Senate sent a letter to Commissioner Suuberg of the DEP, urging him to reject and rescind all permits for the compressor station and to put a stop to the project completely. We thank all who signed on to this letter. We are grateful that we have had their support on this from the beginnings.

Let us hope, Fore River Campers, that Commissioner Suuberg and Governor Baker can see their way clear to do the right thing by the citizens of the Basin and of the Commonwealth.

You can read the letter here or below.

Our Board member, Margaret, has made a wonderful piece of performance art to help explain what is going on in our communities in regards to air quality. Please give yourself the 17 minutes this requires to watch the whole video. While you are watching, think about things like the Department of Public Health's acknowledgement and statistics that show Weymouth, Quincy, and Braintree already over the State averages for heart disease and lung disease. And then, think of how the DEP is actually not only allowing this to happen, they are actively participating in the poisoning of our citizens. Of our children.

Watch the video here or below.

Mothers Out Front, FRRACS, and other coalition members organized a press conference at the state house today to put pressure on the DEP. You can watch a livestream of the press conference here. State House News Service was in attendance and wrote a piece about the event. You can read it here - Compressor station opponents say they’ll go to court

Some very good reporting from the Herald. Bottom line? Baker has the authority to stop this.

Boston Herald - Charlie Baker pressed to halt Weymouth compressor station

Our local legislators continue to fight for the community. Right now they are trying to get the state to mandate air quality monitoring within 1 mile of any proposed compressor station. We're fortunate to have local officials who fight for us. Maybe Gov. Baker will one day follow their lead.

Betrayed. It is the only word that would come to our minds today just after 3:00 PM when our attorney, Mike Hayden, sent us the decision of Presiding Officer Jane Rothchild on the Air Quality Plan approval. Ms. Rothchild sided with the Enbridge, the polluter, and with the Department of Environmental Protection, the pollution enabler, and gave the green light for Commissioner Martin Suuberg to grant a final Air Quality Permit for the Weymouth compressor station.

DEP Presiding Officer Recommends that the DEP Issue a Final Approval for Enbridge’s Air Quality Plan

Weymouth, Mass. (June 27, 2019) - Today, DEP Presiding Officer Jane Rothchild turned her back on the people of the Commonwealth by recommending that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issue a final permit for Enbridge’s air quality plan. By issuing a recommendation of approval, Rothchild makes clear that the DEP does not care about public health, the environment, or the agencies charge to protect both.

The DEP presiding officer issued her decision today on Enbridge's air quality plan approval: she recommends that the Department’s Commissioner issue a Final Decision affirming the air permit.

Don't despair, Fore River Campers. The fight is NOT over. Enbridge still needs other permits, as well as approval from CZM. We will have more info on all of this soon, as well as action steps. Please stay tuned. The fight continues.

You can read more here: The Patriot Ledger - State adjudicator OKs air permit for compressor station

Doctors, public health experts, and our very own Alice testified at a legislative briefing on the dangers of fracked-gas. The briefing was organized by Sen. Keenan. A live-stream of the briefing is available here.

We had such a beautiful day in the park--doing art! We had artists lining the entire stretch of the park. It was really wonderful to observe all of the talented individuals creating art. We had watercolor painters, a sketch artist, oil painters, and so much more. Yvonne Lamothe created a beautiful mural depicting the beauty of our environment and how it will be impacted by further pollution. Adults and children added their own pieces of art to the mural. It was a great day of community collaboration.

Our event made the Weymouth News, too. Check out the article here: Activists use art to draw attention to Weymouth compressor controversy

Well, well, well--verified unethical behavior from former Sec. Matt Beaton. So funny how he unilaterally decided that Weymouth did not deserve a MEPA review when asked by the mayor. Guess he had to prove to his new masters that he could be relied upon. Many, many thanks to Itai Vardi for his excellent journalism.

Read it and weep, Campers.

Desmog - Massachusetts Energy Secretary Engaged in Enbridge Facility Review While Negotiating Job With Project’s Consultant (link)

We invite you to attend our “Painting in the Park” event this Sunday. Artists and non-artists are welcome to attend. Bring your supplies or add to our mural! More details here.

Artscope has an article in their magazine about the event. Check out their piece here.

Well, this doesn’t come as a surprise to any of us, but it’s still worth posting.

Environmental Health News - "No evidence" that fracking can be done without threatening human health: Report

WBUR recapped the compressor fight. There are some inacuaracies in this piece, but overall, it’s a good summary. Thanks to reported Miriam Wasser for writing about this issue.

WBUR - Confused About The Weymouth Compressor? Here's What You Need To Know

Excerpt: “For the last few years, a coalition of South Shore towns and local activists have worked to block the construction of a natural gas compressor station in North Weymouth. The project involves multiple permits and court cases at the state and federal level, making it hard for even the most avid news consumer to follow.

The Environmental Business Council (EBC) gave Governor Baker an award for his “climate leadership”. Ironic, we know. Governor Baker likes to portray himself as a climate champion but he’s really a champion for the fracked-gas industry. Baker refuses to stop the expansion of dangerous, toxic facilities like the compressor station. The compressor station and the fracked gas that would run through it, will only further exacerbate the state of the climate.

State House News Service covered the protest - Protesters demonstrate as Baker receives environmental award (link)

Mayor Sullivan (Braintree) expressed his concern over the federal regulatory process in a letter addressed to PHMSA. He points out how it seems that federal agencies care more about industry than the well-being of citizens. We couldn’t agree more.

We thank Mayor Sullivan for his support and for sending this letter to PHMSA.