Hingham High student writes piece about the compressor station

Student reporter Will Sutton wrote a great piece about the compressor station fight for The Harborlight. Will hits on the many dimensions to this fight and where we stand now. Many thanks to Will for choosing to write about this topic! You can read his piece here.

The Harborlight - For the Fore River Basin: The State of Compressor Station Opposition:

Excerpt: “Nearly a month ago, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection approved air quality permits for the proposed compressor station in the Fore River Basin of Weymouth. The Spectra Energy-Enbridge compressor station, which would facilitate the transport of natural gas to Beverly, gained approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in January 2017.

The Baker administration’s recent issuing of permits is the first step the state has taken in approving the project. The action came after a Metropolitan Area Planning Council assessment predicted “…no substantial changes in health from direct exposures from the station itself with the exception of sound levels during construction.”

This development, however, does not sit well with the lawmakers and community activists who have long opposed the establishment of the compressor station in Weymouth. They state the compressor station will damage quality of life for residents by bringing air, odor, and noise pollution to the already heavily industrialized Fore River Basin area, which sits in Weymouth but is close to Braintree, Quincy, and Hingham.

On their website, community activist group Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station- one of many organizations formed by concerned citizens to combat the proposal- claim the project “…poses a serious threat to the health, safety, environment, and economy of the South Shore.” Republican State Senator O’Connor, who represents Weymouth and Hingham, told the Harborlight in a September interview, “…there is absolutely no price tag that you can put on quality of life, quality of air.” In addition to grassroots activism and lawmaker opposition, local officials in surrounding towns of Weymouth, Braintree, Quincy, and Hingham have also expressed concern for the environmental impact of the project." (Will Sutton)