FRRACS members have been sifting through thousands of pages of reports to prepare for the upcoming Public Involvement Plan meeting. These reports are related to soil contamination at the site and Enbridge’s draft Release Abatement Measure (RAM) Plan. In the midst of our research, we discovered that key documents were missing from MassDEP’s website. These documents are necessary for the review of Enbridge’s draft RAM plan, as well as other reports. We promptly sent a request to DEP asking them to fix the broken links and to allow for an extension of the PIP comment period.

The Patriot Ledger - Compressor critics say website issues impeding research

Senator Warren, Senator Markey, and Congressman Lynch sent a letter to Enbridge, urging them to reconsider the compressor station proposal.

Investigative journalist Itai Vardi covered this story for Desmogblog. Read it here: Massachusetts Lawmakers Step Up Pressure on Enbridge to Scrap Controversial Gas Compressor Station

In a letter addressed to the president of Enbridge, Senator Markey, Senator Warren, and Congressman Lynch expressed their serious concerns about the compressor station and urged Enbridge to reconsider the proposal.

We applaud them for speaking out and for voicing their opposition. Take a moment to send your thanks to each of them. The press release and letter are available below.

The Patriot Ledger - Lawmakers ask gas company CEO to pull compressor station plans

Nathan Phillips, a vocal opponent of gas infrastructure, live-streamed today’s blowdown of methane from an Enbridge pipeline in Newton and Wellesley. Nathan has lead many efforts to map gas leaks throughout the area and has been a longtime ally of FRRACS. Nathan and other concerned residents drove around the area with a methane mapping instrument to measure the levels of methane released by the blowdown. You can watch the livestream here.

Members of FRRACS joined our allies in Newton on the morning of October 8, to alert drivers that they were entering an active gas leak. Enbridge informed local municipalities just a few days ago that they would be conducting a “blowdown” of their pipeline in Newton and Weston. We held signs over the I-95 overpass that read, “Enbridge Gas Leak: Next 3 Miles”.

You can read our full press release below. Patch also covered this story; read it here.

Weymouth resident, Suzanne Torres, called out Governor Baker for not speaking out against the compressor station. In the letter, she explains that Baker visited the Merrimack Valley to offer his condolences to those impacted by the gas explosion, but refuses to put a stop to another dangerous gas infrastructure project — the compressor station.

Dr. Phil Landrigan, a physician and epidemiologist, sent a letter to DEP Commissioner Gary Moran, urging the Department to reconsider the compressor station proposal. Dr. Landrigan is known worldwide for his advocacy on issues related to children’s health. He also testified as an expert witness during the Air Quality hearing at DEP. He has continuously voiced his concerns regarding the health impacts that the compressor station would have on the community. We thank Dr. Landrigan for using his expertise in public health to call attention to this important issue. You can read his letter here

Good news, Fore River Campers! State House News reporting another (the 9th!) stay from Coastal Zone Management! Until at least Nov. 4. Maybe beyond.

State House News Service - CZM AGAIN EXTENDS REVIEW OF NATURAL GAS PROJECT

Senator Markey paid a visit to the proposed compressor station site today. He was joined by members of FRRACS, Sen. O'Connor, Rep. Murphy, Sen. Timilty, Mayor Koch, and staff from Sen. Warren's office. Alice took them on a tour of the site and nearby facilities. We thank our represents for joining us today and for giving us their unwavering support.

You can watch the tour with Sen. Markey here

Today was a powerful day. A day full of hope, resistance, and creative action. Local residents and allies blocked the entrance to MassDEP in Boston to call on the agency to put an end to the Weymouth compressor station proposal by denying the remaining permits.

News coverage of today's action:
The Patriot Ledger
State House News Service

Action Item: CALL GOV. BAKER AND DEP

Urge them to deny the remaining permits for the Weymouth compressor station. Our health and safety depend on it.

Gov. Baker: 617-725-4005
MassDEP: 617-292-5500

Then sign our Pledge to Take Action: tinyurl.com/WeymouthActionPledge

Enbridge has an anticipated constructions start date of November 1, 2019. If you want to join FRRACS in resisting the compressor station, please indicate what level of support you are able to provide by filling out our Pledge to Take Action form. We value any level of support that you can provide.

FRRACS member, Andrea, has been sitting in the governor’s office on her lunch break for 200 days now. Governor Baker STILL refuses to meet with her or anyone from the South Shore community.

To mark her 200th day, FRRACS members and allies joined her at the Governor’s office to urge him to stop the dangerous compressor station proposal. You can watch the video from today’s sit-in here.

Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (GBPSR) have been very outspoken on the public health dangers of the proposed compressor station. Today they released their third report on the issue. You can access it here. We are grateful for their advocacy and leadership on this issue.

Call Governor Baker at 617-725-4005, DEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg at 617-292-5536, and Secretary Katie Theoharides at 617-626-1000 and ask them:

• How can construction begin without the proper permits?

• How can construction begin on a contaminated site without the final Release Abatement Measure Plan?

• How can construction begin before the promised safety and risk evaluation reports and coastal resiliency report have not been done?

There will be a Public Involvement Plan (PIP) meeting on Thursday, October 10 from 7-9pm to discuss the ongoing contamination issue at the proposed compressor station site. The meeting will be held at Abigail Adams Middle School in Weymouth (89 Middle Street).

The draft RAM Plan is available on MassDEP's website here: (https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/portal#!/search/wastesite) under RTN 4-0026230.

It’s hard to believe that we have been fighting the compressor station proposal for four and half years now. Though the fight has been exhausting at times, we know that we have no choice but to bring an end to this dangerous proposal. We could not have made it this far without the incredible support of our community and allies.

It can be hard to recall everything that has happened since the start, so we assembled a brief timeline to give you a snapshot of what has occurred. You can view the timeline here or below.

FRRACS, Weymouth, Braintree, Quincy, and Hingham filed a petition for review in federal court in response to the DEP’s approval of Enbridge’s air quality permit. See you in court, Enbridge, DEP, and the Baker Administration. We told you we were not going anywhere.

You can read more from the State House News.

We are back in "stay" with CZM until August 15th. We have nothing else official on this but will report as soon as we do.

Remember, the DEP does not have to adhere to any particular timelines with Enbridge and FERC cannot make them do so. Fingers crossed, Campers!

Read more here: The Boston Globe - Key deadline for approval of Weymouth compressor station pushed back

A very tragic gas explosion occurred in Kentucky today, causing one fatality, as well as other injuries. We are keeping those impacted by today’s incident in our thoughts.

This was an Enbridge-run pipeline. The same company that wants to construct a massive fracked-gas compressor station in the Fore River Basin. You can read more about this story here.