NH Improperly Charged New England Ratepayers

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NH Improperly Charged New England Ratepayers

So a utility built a pipeline tax into their rate increase without permission? Who'd a thunk?!

Full article from Mass.gov below:

"New Hampshire Transmission (NHT) will refund New England ratepayers $6.8 million, with $3.2 million going to Massachusetts electric ratepayers, to settle allegations that the company improperly included millions of dollars of development costs in its transmission rates, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

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Union Protests Hiring of Non-Locals for Pipeline Jobs

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A local labor union in Ohio protested Spectra's employment of non-locals to repair pipelines in their community.

from the Dayton Daily News article:

"The local affiliate of Laborers’ International Union of North America rallied Tuesday on Cincinnati-Dayton Road to bring attention to what it says is Spectra Energy’s practice of outsourcing construction work and neglecting Ohio’s local workforce.

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Weymouth ConCom Rejects Spectra's Application!

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Weymouth ConCom Rejects Spectra's Application!

This is exciting news! Thank you to all who attended meetings and submitted comments - our efforts have paid off. 

Of course, this decision doesn't scrap Spectra's project, but it is a good step. Unfortunately, Spectra can appeal this decision and it's possible that they could seek federal approval that overrides ConCom's denial. Regardless, we will celebrate and keep fighting.

Read the whole article from the Patriot Ledger here.

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ConCom Meeting Tonight 5/25

/ Weymouth High School/


Just a reminder that the continuation of April's Conservation Commission meeting is tonight at the Humanities Center of Weymouth High School beginning at 6:00.  Hope a lot of you can make it.  If you can come and comment, remember to address wetland issues, water pollution, and loss of recreational space. This is mostly what the permitting is about in this case.

RSVP here

A couple of links--if you have the time--to look at:
Atlantic Bridge Supplemental Filing

Town of Weymouth site

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Great Turnout at the FERC Meeting

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Last night, we had a roaring rally before the meeting - FERC and the public definitely heard us. The evening was followed by dozens of speakers voicing their opposition to the project, including an impassioned speech by Congressman Stephen Lynch. A local labor union once again spoke in favor of the project, using the inaccurate jobs and clean energy argument. Spectra and others have clearly misled these folks. The evening lasted more than 4 hours - so thank you to all who came, spoke, and/or submitted comments.

Don`t forget that comments are due May 30 - instructions on how to submit here.
 

Read the Patriot Ledger coverage of the meeting.

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FERC Scoping Hearing TONIGHT!

/ Abigail Adams Middle School/
FERC Scoping Hearing TONIGHT!

Don't forget that tonight is the FERC scoping meeting for Access Northeast. FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, has the authority to approve or deny the project, so it is very important to submit public comments.

The meeting is at Abigail Adams Middle School (89 Middle Street), at 6:30PM. We will be gathering outside starting at 5:30PM to hold signs and rally. We will also have a table with important flyers, stickers, and new yard signs ($5).

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EFSB Hearing Recap - Updated

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Wednesday night's public meeting with the EFSB went on for nearly 4 hours. It was quite obvious that the people in the room really did their homework. Some brought up maps and signs, others referenced footnotes from the Atlantic Bridge EA, and some used their expertise in the medical field to cite reasons for concern in regards to health impacts. One individual said that their comments may reach 50 pages. Spectra has underestimated us.

One individual, from a labor union, did speak out in favor of this project, citing job creation and the need for clean, reliable energy. We would like to stress that neither Access NE nor Atlantic Bridge will bring us a wealth of new jobs or clean energy. According to Spectra's own documents, they will only hire 48-90 local workers across NY, CT, and MA, out of the proposed 605 jobs for Atlantic Bridge. Fracked gas is not clean - it releases methane which is 80x more potent than CO2. And the fracked gas will be transported up to Canada and exported for profit.

Click here for the The Patriot Ledger's coverage of the meeting.

 

The EFSB will provide their own recommendation to FERC based on the public comments that they have received. Email your comments to:

robert.j.shea@state.ma.us AND dpu.efiling@state.ma.us

For a guide on how send a comment to EFSB, FERC, or ConCom, click below.


The next meeting is the FERC Scoping Meeting: May 19, 6:30P - Abigail Adams Middle School

Protest Against Gov. Baker's Pipeline Tax

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Protest Against Gov. Baker's Pipeline Tax

Over 100 people gathered on Saturday afternoon to protest Governor Baker's support of an $8 billion pipeline tax. People stood across the street from him, where he was attending an event. Our message was clear and Governor Baker could no doubt hear the chants coming from across the street. Demonstrators made their voices loud, yelling "Hey, hey, ho, ho, this pipeline tax has got to go!" and "We don't want your pipeline tax, we don't want your dirty gas." 

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Twenty Energy Projects Canceled in 6 Months

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Twenty Energy Projects Canceled in 6 Months

Last year when Obama finally rejected Keystone XL, the climate community rejoiced. TransCanada, the company banking on the project (literally and figuratively) was not quite as happy. Rejecting Keystone was a victory and since then, twenty other energy projects have been scrapped. People are beginning to realize that fossil fuels are not a viable energy source. So we must keep up the pressure here in Weymouth/Quincy/Braintree and beyond, because we can win.

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