Request copies of Enbridge’s pandemic plan, and pandemic plans for all on-site contractors
Boston (April 20, 2020) – With Massachusetts now considered a national coronavirus “hot spot,” Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren today called on Enbridge, Inc., the parent company of the subsidiary that is constructing the Weymouth natural gas compressor station, to provide copies of its pandemic plan and the pandemic plans for all on-site contractors, and to detail the steps the companies are taking to protect the health and safety of workers and the surrounding communities. In their letter, the Senators highlight the risks posed by site workers who are traveling to Weymouth from other projects in others states, as well as the concerns raised by the community about the compressor site’s operations during the pandemic, which include allegations that more than 30 employees are working in close proximity at the construction site and lack adequate protective equipment and sanitation supplies.
“Given the highly contagious nature of this disease, public health experts have recommended social distancing measures that keep physical interactions to a minimum – a near impossibility on a construction site,” write Senators Markey and Warren in their letter to Enbridge President and Chief Executive Office Al Monaco. “As Massachusetts continues to operate under a broad stay-at-home order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, we are concerned that ongoing construction could expose work crews and members of the surrounding community to coronavirus-related health and safety risks.”
A copy of the letter can be found HERE.
Senators Markey and Warren have opposed the projects, citing public health and safety concerns. Weymouth, Massachusetts is densely populated, with 3,100 people per square mile. The site for the new gas compressor, which FERC approved in 2017, is within a half-mile of more than 960 homes and 38 educational facilities, and approximately 3,100 children live within one mile, and 13,200 go to school within three miles of the proposed site. Other key concerns with the compressor site include air quality – residents have higher-than-average rates of cancer, asthma, respiratory diseases – and environmental justice, as Weymouth includes two state-designated environmental justice communities.
On November 27, 2019, the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) granted permission for Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, a subsidiary of Spectra Energy Corporation, permission to proceed with the Compressor station’s construction despite strong local opposition. This February, Senators Markey, Warren and Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08) called on the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) to place a stay on construction at the station site and send inspectors to determine whether the project is complying with its official plans and protocols. In November 2019, Senators Markey and Warren called on FERC to reject the request to begin construction at the proposed site and reopen the decision to approve the project. In October 2019, Senators Markey and Elizabeth Warren introduced legislation that would block construction of any compressor station that would be built as part of a pipeline project meant to export natural gas abroad. And the three lawmakers previously sent a letter to Enbridge Inc. expressing serious concerns about the Enbridge’s proposal.
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