Governor Baker Breaks His Silence

For more than two years now, we've been targeting Governor Baker, urging him to speak out against the compressor station. Today he finally spoke out. Not in opposition, but in recognition of people's concerns. It's a step.

In a letter addressed to Mayor Hedlund, Gov. Baker states, "We recognize the serious concerns that have been raised by many, including constituents in your town and neighboring communities, regarding a proposed natural gas compressor station to be sited along the Fore River." He goes on to explain that he has directed several state agencies, including CZM, to further investigate the project and gather more public health information.

We are so grateful for the thousands of people who have been organizing to get Governor Baker's attention. From collecting thousands of signatures, to the hundreds of phone calls made and emails sent, to Andrea's 80+ day sit-in at the Governor's office, to creating a TV ad. This would not have happened without the people making their voices heard. And many thanks to the Town of Weymouth for their dedicated efforts in the fight against the compressor.

We thank Governor Baker for listening to the concerns of his constituents and for directing his agencies to take a serious look at this dangerous proposal. This is a step in the right direction. The fight isn't over yet, but this is something to celebrate.

The letter isn't perfect, and he stops short of voicing opposition, but we remain vigilant. We will continue to push him to oppose the project and encourage him to visit the site. In the letter he says, "As older power generators retire, we must diversify the state's energy portfolio. This means both pursuing new sources of renewable energy and expanding our natural gas capacity." Expanding natural/fracked-gas is not an option. Our climate simply cannot handle any further extraction or burning of fossil fuels. Though we are happy that he has acknowledged our concerns, we will not stop fighting any time soon.