Good morning, Fore River Campers! We are here at the ELM panel forum on off shore wind. Gov. Baker was the keynote speaker and we wanted to try to allow you to see what he had to say. Sorry for the shaky video-- and the short picture of Alice and our friend Tim!-- but enjoy the audio. 

After receiving pressure from the public and local elected officials, including Mayors Hedlund, Koch, and Sullivan, MassDEP has agreed to complete a review of contamination at the proposed compressor station site. The site is home to coal ash, and could require a higher threshold of remediation if it is found to not be classified as “historic fill”. TRC, a consultant for Enbridge, completed a review that stated that the coal ash is historic fill, but others disagree with their finding. You can read more about this development from The Patriot Ledger.

Mayors Hedlund (Weymouth), Koch (Quincy), and Sullivan (Braintree) wrote a letter to Gov. Baker to follow up on a meeting that they had with him a few weeks ago. In addition to asking for the public safety and climate resiliency reviews that Gov. Baker promised, the Mayors followed up on his agreement to direct DEP to audit Enbridge's Permanent Solution Statement, which relates to the existence of coal ash at the site. 

We want to thank the Mayors for advocating on behalf of South Shore communities, and for continuing to hold Gov. Baker accountable.

A fracked-gas pipeline exploded in a town in northeastern Missouri. Luckily no injuries were reported, but we are yet again reminded of the dangers of fracked-gas infrastructure. “Natural” gas is not safe, clean, or reliable. Watch the videos for yourself: WSLS News 10 - Natural Gas pipeline explosion in Missouri

MassDEP is tasked with the responsibility of protecting our land, air, and water by working with state, local, and resident partners. Unfortunately, MassDEP seems to have taken a major detour from their important mission. Send an email to the Commissioner of MassDEP to express your concerns. You can access sample talking points here.

Email the Commissioner here: Martin.Suuberg@mass.gov

Tell MAPC to cut their ties with Enbridge and to quit playing with the health of the Fore River community!
Although we are glad that MAPC has spoken out against the compressor station proposal in general, we are very concerned about their lack of transparency throughout the HIA process. As revealed in an article in Desmogblog, MAPC worked directly with Enbridge and accepted documents from them that were produced by Enbridge's own consultants. The source of this document was not made clear in the HIA report. This is very concerning.

We knew from the beginning that this HIA would be an abomination. But here is proof positive that just as with the permits, all of this is either being overseen by Enbridge or being written by Enbridge. And that includes the permits. Thank you to Itai Vardi for uncovering this story. You can read the full article here.

U.S. District Judge Denise Casper has ruled in favor of Enbridge in relation to an appeal from the Town of Weymouth. In 2016, the Weymouth Conservation Commission denied Spectra-Enbridge’s application for a wetlands permit. Spectra-Enbridge appealed the decision, and since then, the appeal has bounced around the courts. This most recent decision is very disappointing. It’s not good news but we are in no way done. You can read the full decision below from Law360.

MAPC, the agency that conducted a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for the compressor station, has released a statement about the HIA process and the compressor station. We applaud MAPC for speaking out against the compressor station proposal but we are disappointed in their final conclusion that the compressor station would not have any significant health impact on the surrounding community. MAPC ignored data that showed high levels of benzene and formaldehyde in the Basin, so we find it perplexing how they could come to the conclusion that the compressor wouldn’t have any significant impact. You can read MAPC’s full statement here: http://foreriverhia.com/

What a busy week it has been! After two long days, our DEP hearing on the waterways license has concluded. Our next appeal will be on the air quality permit. These appeals are an important part of the process but they are also expensive. Can you donate to our legal fund to help us sustain the fight? We could not have made it this far without you. Thank you! You can donate here.

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.

Folks from FRRACS attended a two-day hearing at MassDEP this week for our appeal of the Ch. 91 Waterways License. Two of our members, Frank Singleton and Rebecca Haugh, were on the appeal as witnesses. It was a draining two days but incredible to see our amazing lawyer(s) the Haydens and associate Ethan fighting on behalf of the Fore River community.

Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (GBPSR) released their response to the Health Impact Assessment. We thank them for using their voice and expertise to bring attention to this concerning proposal, and for highlighting issues within the HIA report. Members of GBPSR also attended the Mothers Out Front action on Thursday. You can access the full report here.

Mothers out Front organized an event on Thursday to ask Gov. Baker to cut his ties from fossil fuels. The event was organized in support of FRRACS and in response to the faulty HIA report. Hundreds gathered in Nurses Hall at the State House, holding paper scissors while chanting: “Gov. Baker, cut your ties from fossil fuels!” Their voices echoed throughout the chamber. They moved upstairs and lined the hallway above Nurses Hall. Members of the community, including Alice (FRRACS), Andrea (#sitwithandrea), and doctors from GBPSR, spoke about the compressor station issue. After they spoke, community members split into groups and made their way to the Governor’s office, DEP, and DPH.

Coastal Zone Management (CZM) has announced that they are extending their stay on Enbridge’s Consistency of Review through August 5, 2019. This is good news! Enbridge needs approval of this review from CZM before they can begin construction but CZM will not review it until there is a decision on the wetlands and waterways permits. The wetlands and waterways permits are still in the appeal process, so a decision has not been made yet. You can access the letter here.

Surprising news today: The Executive Director of MAPC - the agency that conducted the faulty HIA - has spoken out against the compressor station, citing safety and climate concerns. This statement was unexpected but we applaud MAPC for voicing their concerns about the compressor station. Read more from WBUR - Agency Head Voices Opposition To Proposed Weymouth Compressor Station.

Comment on Baker’s hypocrisy! He is urging action on climate change while also supporting the expansion of fracked gas (‘natural’ gas) infrastructure. Give him a call — 617-725-4005. We can’t let him off the hook! Read more about this story from MassLive - Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker urges Congress to address climate change.