Folks in Virginia are celebrating a major win today after the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a state permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline compressor station in Union Hill. Union Hill, a predominantly black community, has been fighting for years to get the Governor and state administration to address serious concerns related to the compressor station proposal. The Governor ignored environmental justice concerns over the compressor station, but the Fourth Circuit did not follow suit, stating in their decision that the state “failed in its statutory duty to determine the character and degree of injury to the health of Union Hill residents” (source: BlueVirginia.us). This is big. We congratulate folks in VA for their incredible victory!

Miriam Wasser of WBUR offers a recap of our fight in 2019. You can listen to the full segment here: WBUR - Why The Weymouth Compressor Was Such An Environmental Flash Point in 2019 (link)

The FRRACS Team wishes you a very Happy New Year and New Decade with renewed resolve to make 2020 the year that we send Enbridge packing back to Canada!

On December 27, MTA (Mass Teachers Association) members and supporters stood out on the bridge in North Weymouth to protest the compressor station proposal. We thank the MTA for organizing this solidarity action and for fighting with us.

You can watch a brief video recap from the MTA here.

And you can view our livestream of the event on our Facebook page here.

The letter below was submitted to FERC by Dr. Curtis Nordgaard, as a supplement to our Request for Rehearing. You can read it below or here.

This post from Blue Mass Group perfectly express our sentiments. We will never stop fighting.

Blue Mass Group - Weymouth residents refuse to count their own lives as cheap (link)

"Attorney General Maura Healey today launched an effort to help empower the state’s ratepayers to advocate for a cleaner energy system in Massachusetts."

Focusing on the costs of health and environment caused by fossil fuels, the AG is encouraging members of the public to contact the ISO NE (Independent Service Operator) to call for cleaner energy sources. This is good news!

You can read the full press release at Mass.gov here.

This morning, a handful of concerned community members created a motorcade around the access road that passes by the proposed compressor site, with the intention of peacefully slowing down construction. You can watch a livestream of the motorcade here.

Lisa Jennings, a Weymouth resident, peacefully stood in front of the gates that lead to the proposed compressor station site, in early December. She was arrested along with three individuals for stopping construction.

The Weymouth News sat down with Lisa to talk about her experience and why she would be willing to risk arrest again. You can read the full piece here: Weymouth compressor protester would risk arrest again

Gov. Baker was in Downtown Boston today for a public event. Some compressor station opponents gathered at the event to confront him for refusing to put a stop to the compressor station proposal. It was a powerful moment, and perhaps the first time that Baker could not simply walk away and ignore his constituents.

Read more about this event from Boston.com - Charlie Baker was confronted by protesters during a Salvation Army bell ringing (link)

The medical gravitas of the Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (GBPSR) is enormous. Governor Baker takes pride in his connections to healthcare. Governor Baker makes a big deal of shaving his head for cancer every year. Governor Baker has consistently ignored the warnings of the doctors who have a lot more knowledge than he does about healthcare and cancer. Governor Baker is a hypocrite.

GBPSR has been very vocal on the compressor station issue. They have continuously tried to bring attention to the very real and serious health concerns related to the proposal. You can read their latest letter on their website.

Enbridge is digging up toxic soil at the proposed compressor, further exacerbating the presence of toxins in the air. The most recent filing on the FERC docket claims there was no problem. But we witnessed the muddy tires leaving a trail of sludge along the access roads on the rainy days. Enbridge brought in a street sweeper to hide the evidence.

Read more from the Weymouth News - "Dirty concerns raised about Weymouth compressor station construction (link)

This week we premiered our new short film "Telling the Stories". This film shares the personal stories of people who have been impacted by air pollution in the Fore River Basin, while at the same time showing the beauty of the Basin. Those of us who call the Basin home know that many toxic industries have been dumped here for decades. The legacy of this industrial abuse has made us sick and will continue to make us sick until the we are able to stand up to the State agencies and the various governors who have abandoned us and tell them "no more!"

Watch the film here or below.

A few of our members attended a speaking event that featured Jane Fonda. Jane Fonda has been leading the weekly “Firedrill Friday” direct action effort to bring attention to the seriousness of climate change. Every Friday for the past few months, Jane Fonda and others have been arrested in DC as they try to get people to see the severity of the issue.

Six community members were arrested today for stopping activity on the North Parcel, stating it's necessary to conduct nonviolent civil disobedience to stop construction since Governor Baker and his State agencies have refused to uphold their charge of office and protect our communities -especially the two environmental justice communities very close by.  

The North Parcel, also known as the proposed compressor site, is highly contaminated. It was a dumping ground for coal ash decades ago. We also known that asbestos is present at the site and believe that TRC did not adequately test for it while they were collecting soil samples. Asbestos is a toxic substance that would require very stringent cleanup procedures. We are asking for further testing of the presence of asbestos at the site.

You can read more about this effort from The Patriot Ledger - Neighbors want more testing at compressor site (link).

We’re premiering our new short film “Telling the Stories” on Tuesday, December 10. This film tells the stories of people who have been impacted by pollution in the Fore River Basin. Join us on Tuesday for the premiere.

The Patriot Ledger - Film about health impacts in the Fore River Basin to debut Tuesday (link)

Gas is not clean. It is not safe. It is DEFINITELY not renewable. Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, Dr. Howard Frumkin, and Dr. Brita E. Lundberg published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine about the dangers of natural gas.

You can read their full article — The False Promise of Natural Gas — here.

Miriam Wasser of WBUR digs up details about what toxins lie under the land that Enrbidge wants to build on. We know that it is a very toxic site that should not be disturbed, but Enbridge wants to dig it up to construct their toxic compressor station.

Arsenic And Diesel As Thick As Peanut Butter: What’s Below The Future Weymouth Compressor? - WBUR

FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a rubber-stamping agency told Senators Markey and Warren that they could not deny Enbridge’s request for a Notice To Proceed with construction. Always a big disappointment, but no surprise. Funny how a regulatory agency lacks the the authority to review its own decisions.