1. @MassGovernor’s statement below embodies the paradox that is his administration’s climate policy. On the one hand it upholds offshore wind as “one of the most significant changes in environmental policy in a very long time,” which is 💯 true. #mapoli
2. On the other hand, it places its imprimatur on a fossil fuel project with the capacity to move 132.7M cubic feet of natural gas (132,700 dekatherms) through the region *each and every day *. That volume of gas will yield 2,835,000 tons of CO2 annually.
3. To put that in perspective, that amount of CO2 equals ~19% of the annual CO2 emissions produced by all of Mass.’s power plants, or ~8% of all NE power plants (per CO2 totals for 2017 reported in @isonewengland’s most recent emissions report—bit.ly/2m).
5. ...equivalent to the last spike needed to connect the two ends of the transcontinental railroad. Only, when the last spike is driven in Weymouth, the occasion will mark an enormous retrograde leap backward in progress in the Commonwealth’s effort to mitigate...
6. ...the effects of climate change.
Enbridge, of course, has a majority stake in both the AGT & M&N pipelines, hence its desire to move the add’l. capacity onto the M&N. If completed, Enbridge’s gas distribution system would extend from Lambertville, on the Del. river in NJ,...
Enbridge, of course, has a majority stake in both the AGT & M&N pipelines, hence its desire to move the add’l. capacity onto the M&N. If completed, Enbridge’s gas distribution system would extend from Lambertville, on the Del. river in NJ,...
7. ...to Nova Scotia and perhaps beyond—potentially carrying gas for distribution around the globe.
The M&N pipeline currently connects to the @canaportlng liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal in Saint John, NB. Currently, Canaport is configured to import LNG, not export it.
The M&N pipeline currently connects to the @canaportlng liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal in Saint John, NB. Currently, Canaport is configured to import LNG, not export it.
8. But Canaport, designed to receive 2 LNG tankers/week, is operating at a fraction of its capacity. Why? B/c imported LNG can’t compete on price with US shale gas. In 2015, @repsol & @irving oil, the cos. that own Canaport, proposed exporting gas instead. bit.ly/2qiZfZW
9. The idea for reconfiguring Canaport for export hadn’t originated with Repsol & Irving Oil, however, it originated with the then-owner of the M&N pipeline, @SpectraEnergy. Spectra has since been purchased by Enbridge. With the purchase Enbridge ...
bit.ly/34uXrf7
bit.ly/34uXrf7
10. ... acquired Spectra’s 15,000 miles of pipelines—including the AGT and M&N pipelines—and made Enbridge the largest energy infrastructure co. in N. Am. Enbridge also acquired the Atlantic Bridge pipeline, which is all but complete now, except for...
11. ...the Weymouth compressor station.
The compressor is the fulcrum on which the delivery of Marcellus gas into Maritime Canada depends. It’s importance can’t be overstated. There are huge sums of money at stake—far more than Atlantic Bridge’s $450M price tag.
The compressor is the fulcrum on which the delivery of Marcellus gas into Maritime Canada depends. It’s importance can’t be overstated. There are huge sums of money at stake—far more than Atlantic Bridge’s $450M price tag.
12. Will the compressor be built?
Both @EversourceMA & @nationalgridus have stated that they’re able to serve their customers with the 132.7M cubic feet of natural gas capacity currently on the AGT & don’t need the compressor to move it onto the M&N.
Both @EversourceMA & @nationalgridus have stated that they’re able to serve their customers with the 132.7M cubic feet of natural gas capacity currently on the AGT & don’t need the compressor to move it onto the M&N.
13. But the Atlantic Bridge project is a joint venture b/t AGT and M&N. Eversource & NGrid have contracts w/AGT. Five other cos.—@heritagegas, @ExelonGen, Irving Oil Terminal Operations, @MaineNatGas, and New England NG Supply—have contracts with M&N, ...
14. ... and they likely still have every expectation the Atlantic Bridge project will be completed. (bit.ly/32afCVJ) (Though New England NG Supply & Exelon have thrown in the towel recently and assigned their M&N capacity to NGrid; wbur.fm/2WLpAMg).
15. One thing that may kill Atlantic Bridge and the compressor is time.
@TCEnergy (of Keystone XL pipeline fame) has proposed shipping gas east from W. Canada, and partly onto the M&N pipeline. Canadian gas could obviate the need for gas from New England. bit.ly/2JKkRFa
@TCEnergy (of Keystone XL pipeline fame) has proposed shipping gas east from W. Canada, and partly onto the M&N pipeline. Canadian gas could obviate the need for gas from New England. bit.ly/2JKkRFa
16. Continued opposition from the good people of Weymouth & Quincy may delay the project long enough to render the compressor unnecessary—they will mount a legal challenge to @MassDEP’s approval of the compressor. bit.ly/2WmlwSA
17. This is the death the compressor deserves to die. After all, DEP’s own hearing officer characterized the Dept.’s air quality (AQ) permit proceedings as a “somewhat unfortunate process” after it was disclosed DEP had failed to consider certain AQ data. bit.ly/2Wellby
18. And @MAPCMetroBoston has hired an independent public health consultant to evaluate the health impact assessment (HIA) that It performed for DEP. The reason? The AQ data that DEP failed to consider was disclosed after MAPC completed the HIA, casting immediate doubt...
19 ...on the HIA’s conclusions. Whether they were, at best, ham-handed or, at worst—as some opponents feel—underhanded, DEP’s AQ permitting and HIA assessment proceedings were certainly tainted.
20. Which rounds us back to @MassGovernor.
Back in Jan., citing federal rules, Gov. Baker said he “basically had no choice” re DEP’s issuance of the AQ permit. bit.ly/2JWj9kf
Back in Jan., citing federal rules, Gov. Baker said he “basically had no choice” re DEP’s issuance of the AQ permit. bit.ly/2JWj9kf
21. Further, he described the AQ permitting process as “probably the most comprehensive analysis within that framework that anybody’s done anywhere.” A quote that came back to haunt him in April after reporting showed DEP hadn’t considered relevant AQ data bit.ly/2Nped9u
22. It’s telling that MAPC, rather than the Governor, has called for an independent review of the HIA. Why? Because it was the Gov. himself who promised in a July 2017 letter to @MayorBobHedlund that he would direct DEP & @MassDPH to prepare the HIA to ....
23. ... “consider the future air quality impacts of the proposed project on public health.” The HIA belongs to the Governor. bit.ly/2K2yDn0
It’s telling too that the Gov. has not directed the DEP to review the circumstances that led to its issuance of its AQ permit.
It’s telling too that the Gov. has not directed the DEP to review the circumstances that led to its issuance of its AQ permit.
24. Certainly the Gov. has the authority to direct any state agency to assure compliance with its own regulations. The Gov. prefers instead to suggest that he is completely without agency himself. He’s shrugged off the compressor issue. He won’t intercede.
25. For a different kind of leadership style one need only peer across the border into NY. bit.ly/2p16ghF
It’s likely that the Commonwealth’s Office of Coastal Zone Management will issue the last permit needed for Enbridge to proceed construction today. It’s due ...
It’s likely that the Commonwealth’s Office of Coastal Zone Management will issue the last permit needed for Enbridge to proceed construction today. It’s due ...
26. ... next Tuesday. What better time to break the news than late Friday before a holiday weekend?
In going along to get along the Gov. undermines all his administration’s laudable energy and climate initiatives. Worse, it appears he’ll get along ...
In going along to get along the Gov. undermines all his administration’s laudable energy and climate initiatives. Worse, it appears he’ll get along ...
27. ... at the expense of the health and safety of the people who live in the Fore River Basin. ###
Correct link for ISO-NE emissions reports: bit.ly/2mdPrOW
s/b @irvingoil
