Results of WRSE Lateral Pipeline Meeting

Throughout the year, West Roxbury residents, as well as local and state officials, have been debating and opposing the proposed construction of a gas pipeline through the neighborhood.

Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, a subsidiary of Spectra Energy Partners, has been looking to “expand its existing pipeline system from an interconnection at Ramapo, New York to deliver up to 342,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas transportation service to the Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts markets,” according to an Environmental Impact Statement on the “Algonquin Incremental Market Project.”

For West Roxbury, the project would include the construction of about 1.73 miles of new 16-inch and 24-inch diameter lateral pipeline along Washington, Grove and Centre streets, as well as a new metering and regulating station at the intersection of Centre and Grove streets.

West Roxbury Saves Energy, an all-volunteer, community-based organization, objects the proposed location of the West Roxbury gas pipeline and has released a rebuttal to a Spectra Energy ad which West Roxbury residents received by mail on December 22 and 23. Concerns stem from the pipeline being built in a residential area and next to a blasting quarry.

According to their website, West Roxbury Saves Energy is “committed to spreading the word that individuals can make positive choices that save money as well as the environment.”

WRSE gave an update on the West Roxbury Lateral pipeline situation at the West Roxbury Civic & Improvement Association (WRCIA) meeting on Monday, Jan. 12.

Head over to the WRSE website for more information.

You can find the Patch coverage of the WRSE rebuttal here.

West Roxbury Saves Energy organized a write-up, shown below, which describes the results of the Monday, Jan. 12. meeting:

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West Roxbury Lateral Pipeline agenda item at Monday’s WRCIA meeting

The West Roxbury Civic and Improvement Association invited West Roxbury Saves Energy (WRSE) to its January meeting Monday night to give an update on the West Roxbury Lateral (WRL) pipeline status. Ray Porfilio of WRSE began by asking how many present had been to at least one previous meeting in the community on the pipeline; nearly all hands of the 75 people in attendance went up.

After a brief overview of the high-pressure gas pipeline proposal and the accompanying Metering & Regulating Station plan—both to be built in the Grove area of West Roxbury—Porfilio apprised the group of the current timeline and where we are in the process.

Porfilio then outlined the list of efforts by WRSE since learning of the pipeline proposal on Sept. 2. At that time WRSE learned that the WRL is quite far along in its planning and approval process; local efforts to impact the WRL are essentially a year later compared to the efforts along the Kinder Morgan pipeline proposed to run along northern MA/southern NH. Therefore, WRSE has focused primarily on getting the pipeline moved to a nonresidential area and away from the quarry. Efforts toward this end have included informing the community of the Spectra Open House at the Elks on Sept. 2 and the Federal Regulatory Commission (FERC) hearing in Dedham on Sept. 8, meeting with staff of Senators Markey and Warren in September, continual contact with local elected officials on the issue, meeting with representatives of Spectra and National Grid in early October, holding a Community Meeting that more than 200 people attended on Oct. 8. WRSE then sent questions from that meeting to Spectra and disseminated the (incomplete) answers to the community, requested health and safety reviews from both the city and the state of the location of the pipeline and M&R Station across from the active quarry, worked with the community and elected officials throughout the process to post inquiries and opposition letters on the FERC docket for the project, supported Congressman Lynch’s request of Spectra that they find an alternate route for the pipeline, and wrote a point-by-point rebuttal (endorsed by Councilors O’Malley and Wu and Rep. Coppinger) of the ad mailing piece sent to West Roxbury residents the end of December. In addition, WRSE has been invited to do an interview about the WRL next week on the local cable network Boston Neighborhood News, which will take place Jan. 23.

Following was time for discussion and questions, with many people asking for increased City leadership and protection of the neighborhood. Attendees appreciated hearing from Dedham Selectman Dennis Teehan about Dedham’s steps against the pipeline, and appreciated that US Rep Stephen Lynch and MA Rep Ed Coppinger have taken active roles pushing for an alternative location. Another community group, Stop the West Roxbury Lateral (SWRL), explained their efforts to stop the WRL altogether, including getting more signatures for their petition, contacting elected officials, and canvassing efforts in recent weeks and on-going to make sure residents in the area of the quarry are informed of the pipeline.

In addition, many present at the meeting expressed the community’s concerns that have been an issue since news of the pipeline first began to disseminate: why place such a high-pressure line near homes, a nursing home, and three schools; how it can be safe to locate a high-pressure line and M&R Station across from the blasting quarry; what the risks are of leaks and explosions; how the pipeline and station will affect home values in that area; what alternative routes are that could be considered that are nonresidential and not near the quarry; and many more.

For a summary of the facts around the WRL, links to more information, and the full rebuttal to the Spectra ad mailing, visit westroxburysavesenergy.org.

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Photo: Washington, Grove & Centre streets in West Roxbury, where the pipeline would be installed. (Credit: Google Maps)