Dedham Selectman Arrested Amid Spectra Pipeline Protests

Photo credit: Stop the Pipeline in Dedham

Dedham Board of Selectman chairman Mike Butler was arrested Thursday morning at a gathering to protest the construction of Spectra Energy’s natural gas pipeline.

Butler was placed under arrest by officers at the scene of the rally after he entered a work zone on Elm Street in an attempt to stop the construction himself. Numerous other town officials were present at the gathering when the arrest unfolded.

Town officials and residents in Dedham are sternly opposed to the pipeline project. They feel it will present health and safety issues throughout the community.

Earlier in the week, the town submitted a motion for a preliminary judicial order against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Algonquin Gas Transmission in an attempt to halt the unwanted project.