Update on PHMSA Investigation

So much has happened over the past week, we are not sure where to begin. We always hesitate to overload you, but there is some very important information that we need to give you.

We want you to know--in case you have not already heard--that the investigation into the two accidents is supposedly complete. We found out about this on the afternoon before Thanksgiving. It was our November surprise! And very typical of the way Enbridge treats our community with such disrespect. We didn't want to ruin your holiday during this time of pandemic and, therefore, held off on reporting this to you. You can find the letter from Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) here. Enbridge is claiming that the first accident was caused by an O-ring that was not "designed for the operating environment" and the second accident was caused by an electrical malfuntion. Enbridge claims that it has fixed both of these problems. Even though PHMSA is allowing Enbridge to operate, the root cause analysis demanded by PHMSA has not been completed. PHMSA is requiring that Enbridge operate at 20% below the level at which they were operating when the accidents occurred.

We were informed today that Enbridge will begin testing and operating again this Friday, December 4. They will be doing "intermittent releases" (blow downs) of gas beginning on Friday and going through December 11 from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. As the Town of Weymouth has apparently abdicated its role in giving you this kind of information, we will do our best to let you know if and when we learn of activities of this nature. We will post on our Facebook page, so please check there often.

Dr. Nordgaard has given us all a tool to look at Algonquin's (Enbridge's) operations on a daily basis. You will find these updates here. You will note that if you check today's operations that they are not shipping from Weymouth at this time.

While all of this is going on, we are in appeals with the MassDEP on the BACT (Best Available Control Technology) analysis. We completed day one yesterday and there will be a continuation of the hearing today. You are welome to watch here. The hearing begins at 9:00 AM but will start a little later on the YouTube platform as the DEP needs a few minutes to set up.

It's not all bad news, though. We are calling for The Gathering of the Elves at the Kings Cove Park! This art installation began yesterday, December 1st and goes through Sunday December 20th. We seek to gather 310 elves--each one to represent 10 of the 3100 children who live in the shadow of this toxic facility. We invite you to bring elves to the park--pre-made elves, elves made from pinecones and acorns, elves painted on flat rocks, all kinds of elves! If you cannot make it to the park and would like an elf placed there, feel free to send it to our address at P.O. Box 485, Weymouth 02190. Read all about the twins Kilnbrick and Klinker and their fight to protect the park! And join us on December 20th at 3:00 PM for a holiday service of dedication for this installation.

Stay with us. Stay informed. Be safe and well. And, as ever, thank you for your incredible support.