Senator Markey paid a visit to the proposed compressor station site today. He was joined by members of FRRACS, Sen. O'Connor, Rep. Murphy, Sen. Timilty, Mayor Koch, and staff from Sen. Warren's office. Alice took them on a tour of the site and nearby facilities. We thank our represents for joining us today and for giving us their unwavering support.

You can watch the tour with Sen. Markey here

Today was a powerful day. A day full of hope, resistance, and creative action. Local residents and allies blocked the entrance to MassDEP in Boston to call on the agency to put an end to the Weymouth compressor station proposal by denying the remaining permits.

News coverage of today's action:
The Patriot Ledger
State House News Service

Action Item: CALL GOV. BAKER AND DEP

Urge them to deny the remaining permits for the Weymouth compressor station. Our health and safety depend on it.

Gov. Baker: 617-725-4005
MassDEP: 617-292-5500

Then sign our Pledge to Take Action: tinyurl.com/WeymouthActionPledge

Enbridge has an anticipated constructions start date of November 1, 2019. If you want to join FRRACS in resisting the compressor station, please indicate what level of support you are able to provide by filling out our Pledge to Take Action form. We value any level of support that you can provide.

FRRACS member, Andrea, has been sitting in the governor’s office on her lunch break for 200 days now. Governor Baker STILL refuses to meet with her or anyone from the South Shore community.

To mark her 200th day, FRRACS members and allies joined her at the Governor’s office to urge him to stop the dangerous compressor station proposal. You can watch the video from today’s sit-in here.

Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (GBPSR) have been very outspoken on the public health dangers of the proposed compressor station. Today they released their third report on the issue. You can access it here. We are grateful for their advocacy and leadership on this issue.

Call Governor Baker at 617-725-4005, DEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg at 617-292-5536, and Secretary Katie Theoharides at 617-626-1000 and ask them:

• How can construction begin without the proper permits?

• How can construction begin on a contaminated site without the final Release Abatement Measure Plan?

• How can construction begin before the promised safety and risk evaluation reports and coastal resiliency report have not been done?

There will be a Public Involvement Plan (PIP) meeting on Thursday, October 10 from 7-9pm to discuss the ongoing contamination issue at the proposed compressor station site. The meeting will be held at Abigail Adams Middle School in Weymouth (89 Middle Street).

The draft RAM Plan is available on MassDEP's website here: (https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/portal#!/search/wastesite) under RTN 4-0026230.

It’s hard to believe that we have been fighting the compressor station proposal for four and half years now. Though the fight has been exhausting at times, we know that we have no choice but to bring an end to this dangerous proposal. We could not have made it this far without the incredible support of our community and allies.

It can be hard to recall everything that has happened since the start, so we assembled a brief timeline to give you a snapshot of what has occurred. You can view the timeline here or below.

FRRACS, Weymouth, Braintree, Quincy, and Hingham filed a petition for review in federal court in response to the DEP’s approval of Enbridge’s air quality permit. See you in court, Enbridge, DEP, and the Baker Administration. We told you we were not going anywhere.

You can read more from the State House News.

We are back in "stay" with CZM until August 15th. We have nothing else official on this but will report as soon as we do.

Remember, the DEP does not have to adhere to any particular timelines with Enbridge and FERC cannot make them do so. Fingers crossed, Campers!

Read more here: The Boston Globe - Key deadline for approval of Weymouth compressor station pushed back

A very tragic gas explosion occurred in Kentucky today, causing one fatality, as well as other injuries. We are keeping those impacted by today’s incident in our thoughts.

This was an Enbridge-run pipeline. The same company that wants to construct a massive fracked-gas compressor station in the Fore River Basin. You can read more about this story here.

After a lengthy process with DEP, Enbridge has been ordered to conduct soil testing at the proposed compressor station site due to existing contamination. We filed our initial request for an audit of the contamination at the site two years ago. Last week it was announced that Enbridge had missed their deadline to submit soil samples, so the deadline was extended to January 2020. One of our board members, Margaret, sent a letter to DEP, to request that the new sampling be down by a different firm. Enbridge has been working with TRC, which has been the source of many conflicts. Margaret is also the head of the group that initiated the clean-up effort with DEP — it’s known as the PIP (Public Involvement Plan). We thank Margaret for her tireless work on this issue.

We know the site is far, far more contaminated than TRC reported under LSP Kelly Race. Now we have an LSP who can't tell the difference between "historic fill" and industrially contaminated soil. Time for a new LSP, don't you think, Campers? More here:The Patriot Ledger - Residents want new firm for soil testing at Weymouth site

Members of the legislature are working to get a bill passed that would require the placement of an air quality monitor in the Fore River Basin. This of course will not stop the construction of the proposed compressor station, but will be important to have if this dangerous project does see the light of day. We thank our reps, including Reps. Murphy and Mariano, who have been leading this effort.

FRRACS attended the Quincy Environmental Fair today. Despite the heat, it was a beautiful day! It was great to see community members coming together to celebrate the environmental efforts that we are all working on. Each group had an activity of some sort or a skit that they performed. We decided to continue with our mural from our recent Painting in the Park event. Yvonne, a local artist, created the mural with impeccable detail. Many thanks to Yvonne for creating such a beautiful piece of art that can be shared with so many.

And many thanks to Quincy Climate Action Network for organizing the event and for inviting us to participate.

After the DEP determined that the contamination at the proposed compressor station site was in fact not “historic fill”, they ordered Enbridge to complete more soil testing. Enbridge was given until July 19th to complete their testing but missed the deadline. Because they missed the deadline, DEP has entered Enbridge into an administrative consent order (ACO), which they have until January of 2020 to complete. This ACO requires Enbridge to do more testing and analysis. This is good news as it buys us a bit more time. You can read more from The Patriot Ledger.

Weymouth residents looking to escape the upcoming extreme heat can find comfort at the Fogg Library (1 Columbian St) and the Whipple Senior Center (182 Green St). On Friday, July 19th, the Whipple Senior Center will be open from 9:00am to 7:00pm, and the Fogg Library will be open from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

In addition, Weymouth residents in need of a place to cool down beyond these hours and over the weekend, on Saturday or Sunday, can call the Mayor’s Emergency Hot Line at 1-800-297-5733.

FRRACS is back on the airwaves and the digital airwaves with our updated commercial reminding everyone to call Governor Baker in the Weymouth Comcast market. But, you can see us anytime here or below!

Can you call the Governor today and ask him to stop any further permitting of the Weymouth compressor station? His number is 617-725-4005.

We gathered today in response to Commissioner Suuberg’s decision to give the green light to the Air Quality permit based on the faulty judgement of the presiding officer. Nearly 50 people stood on the Fore River Bridge as dozens of cars drove by, honking their horns in support of the fight. We had a burma shade of signs indicating the pollutants that are present in the Basin: “You are now breathing toluene, 1,3-butadiene, 1, 4-dioxane, benzene, and formaldehyde.” Many thanks to everyone who came out in the heat to lend their support!