With Hanukkah at it’s mid-point, Yule celebrations starting this evening at Solstice, and Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year's just around the corner, No Fracked Gas in Mass would like to wish everyone who celebrates the Holidays — and those who don't celebrate any — a peaceful, happy season.

We hope you’ll take a moment in this busy time before year’s end to support our work with a donation if you can do so, but most of all, we want to you jump in and participate in the many actions on proposed energy projects and permitting and regulatory agency comment periods coming up.

Since the enactment of 2021’s Massachusetts Next Generation Climate Roadmap Act and this year’s Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, state agencies are now re-evaluating and developing new policies to comply with these new laws. And though the news laws’ overall mandates are broad and sweeping in scope, the devil really does lie in the details. Not only do all the minutiae of complying with the new laws need to be worked out by each department - Department of Public Utilities, Energy Facilities Citing Board, Department of Environmental Protection and so on - but each department needs to upend the inertia of YEARS of functioning with the same processes and guidelines. Just the new rules of having to reach out to Environmental Justice communities is proving to have a steep learning curve.

With all this change, a new pace of public input is taking hold, with more opportunities for public input than ever.

At No Fracked Gas in Mass, we’re helping connect people to all these opportunities by providing listings of hearings and listening sessions in our Events Page, and information on public comment processes - for new regulations as well as proposed energy projects - in our new Comment Periods Page.

We’ll continue to highlight urgent calls for action in these newsletters as well, but feel free to stop by the website for updates in between publications of the newsletter.

from GreenRoots and #NoEastieSubstation

On November 29th, the MA Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) gave the greenlight for Eversource to begin construction of an electrical substation in the environmental justice community of East Boston. This certificate allows the EFSB to get a pass and skip permitting and public process yet again. We are enraged that after 8 years of organizing on the #NoEastieSubstation campaign the EFSB continues to bulldoze over community voice and opposition.

Black, Brown and immigrant communities have borne the brunt of environmental injustice for too long. We know firsthand this project jeopardizes the health and safety of East Boston residents, and will put at greater risk the environmental burdens working families already endure. 

Within two weeks of the EFSB approval, East Boston residents that live near the proposed site received a notice by Eversource that stated construction of the electrical substation would begin in 7 days. We’re calling all environmental and climate allies to join us for a call to action! Let’s direct emails to Governor-Elect Maura Healey so she halts construction of the substation and brings Eversource and Massport to the table to find a more suitable location for this infrastructure.

» Visit the No Eastie Substation Toolkit to Join this Action

into Springfield and an upgraded meter station going through Environmental Justice communities and downtown Springfield.

» Check out Gaslight, a 5 minute video, to learn more about the campaign to stop the pipeline.

The Energy Facilities Siting Board held only one public comment hearing for Eversource's Springfield / Longmeadow pipeline.

This hearing was NOT held in Springfield or Longmeadow where the people most directly impacted live, work and attend school, is scheduled in the midst of the holiday season, and is one of the final acts of the Baker administration.

Write to the EFSB NOW to press for and extended comment period and ON LOCATION hearings in affected towns.

Please join the Springfield City Council, Longmeadow Select Board, Longmeadow Pipeline Awareness Group, BEAT / No Fracked Gas in Mass and others in making these requests. Sample comments and where to send them here.

And also CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS and ask them to demand that EFSB hold in-person hearings for Springfield and Longmeadow.

Chime in on Governor Elect Maura Healey’s transition team page. This is not the time for new fossil fuel infrastructure to be permitted. This project is redundant to the existing gas system and will directly harm already deeply impacted environmental justice neighborhoods in Springfield and Longmeadow. Also mention the need for more hearings to be held in person!

» Contact Healey’s Transition Team

The official comment and intervenor petition period deadline is January 17, 2023. Springfield Climate Justice Coalition has a great toolkit to help you decide which aspects of the project you’d like to include in your comments.

» Springfield Climate Justice Coalition Comment Toolkit

Gaslight; Video overview of the Eversource Pipeline proposal and opposition!

Filmmaker Ben Hillman, maker of the Pittsfield Peaker Problem and Peabody Peaker videos, has released a new video on the Eversource pipeline proposal for Springfield & Longmeadow.

» Watch Gaslight here

Public hearing: Wednesday, January 4, 2023, beginning at 2:00 p.m, register by Dec 30. Written comments: Wednesday, January 4, 2023, 5:00pm

The summary of their plan includes several processes that still include emissions-laden technology including increase gas use, "renewable" natural gas and inclusion of nitrogen oxide producing hydrogen in gas distribution systems.

“The Company developed a BERDO building gas use forecast that assumes a continuation of savings from the Company’s existing and planned energy efficiency programs, including electrification; conversion from oil-to-gas heating in all buildings by 2024; hybrid electrification from 2024 to 2050; and gradual ramp-up of renewable natural gas and green hydrogen to 100% of supply by 2050. These measures are sufficient to keep all building types in the Company’s Boston territory in compliance with BERDO, on average, through 2050.”

This plan also includes lower grade heat pumps throughout their territories, 70% of which will be installed and controlled to run only when above 30 degrees maintaining their gas heating systems presumably running on renewable natural gas blended with hydrogen claimed to be ‘net zero’. This is an inexcusable half-measure to meeting state goals for decarbonization.

» Download the DPU Notice of this hearing for more information on commenting and attending the hearing

The Office of Energy and Environmental Affair’s Environmental Justice Policy and Executive Order 552 require that EEA agencies develop their own strategies to “proactively promote environmental justice in all neighborhoods in ways that are tailored to their agencies’ mission.”

EEA’s EJ Office convened and led the EJ Task Force to develop this draft EJ Strategy. EEA is taking public comments on the draft EJ Strategy until January 27, 2023.

» View documents and instructions for comments

Visit our Events listings on NoFrackedGasInMass.com for full listings and descriptions and, where applicable, links to comment period information.

As we face the climate crisis, making your voice heard has never been more crucial.

Be sure to check the No Fracked Gas in Mass Weekly News Check-In. Published nice n' fresh every Friday. Look for the Subscribe option at the bottom of each week's post to get the news right in your inbox.

Fill out the Online Home Energy Assessment at MassSave.com/OHEA

And don't forget, you can keep sending your support all year by setting up a monthly donation as well.

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No Fracked Gas in Mass is a program of Berkshire Environmental Action Team.