FERC denies rehearing request

As you may have already heard from many different media outlets, including the Patriot Ledger, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued their statement yesterday regarding the call for paper briefing from last February. In his statement, Chairman Glick said this:

“The certificate is final and, under the law as it stands, that leaves only one issue for us to decide: Whether the Commission erred in allowing the project to go into service?  The deficiencies in the now-final certificate do not provide a legal basis to prevent the Weymouth Compressor Station from entering service based on the record in this proceeding.

Although it is cold comfort for the residents near the compressor station, I hope that this proceeding will serve as a turning point for the Commission as we work to better consider, address, and act on issues of environmental justice.“ (Commissioner Glick, Jan. 20)

Cold comfort, indeed. We do want you to know that, in fact, it was an unprecedented act for FERC to have even gone to the step of reconsidering the operations of the station in their call for briefing. We believe they had never taken such a step. So be sure to pat yourself on the back for your persistence in making this happen in the first place.

However, we are not done here. By stating that FERC "likely erred" in the siting of the Weymouth compressor station, Chairman Glick is shining a light on the possibility of shutting it down by calling into question the very certification on which it rests. This is worth exploring, and we will do so. (We are already in court doing just that with the 2-year re-certification granted improperly--ilegally?--in 2018.)

Some will ask why we persist. But you know why. Our communities in the Basin and the survival of our world depend on us to save them from the greed and corruption that have brought us to the precipice of planetary destruction. This is not hyperbole as some would have you believe. Our Basin home is toxic because the powers-that-be have dumped polluting facility after polluting facility in our neighborhoods. Our world is toxic because these same powers have pushed our world to the point where chemical pollution has passed safe limits for humanity.

And yet, Chairman Glick, as with Governor Baker, claim that their hands are tied. The famous speech by Macbeth comes to mind, "A tale told by a fool, all sound and fury, signifying nothing." In their world view, all is futile and nothing is worth doing. We here at FRRACS could not disagree more. YOU are worth it. WE are worth it. Our communities and our world are worth it. And it was up to FERC to set precedent, once again, by shutting down a (barely) operating compressor station in the name of environmental justice, climate change, health, and safety.

Dr. King reminds us that, "Our lives begin to end the moment we remain silent about things that matter." We know that we can count on you to walk the road with us, remain lively and alive, and continue to work to end this toxic bomb in our midst.

Stay informed, stay involved, and we will see you at our next meeting on February 8, 2022. Watch our Facebook page for details.

To access the statements made by FERC commissioners during the January 20, 2022 open meeting, click here.