3/31/18 Second round of the Baseline Air Testing completed!
We finished up our second round of baseline air testing today with Bob Ackley of Gas Safety, Inc. today! Information on the company we used to conduct these tests can be found at: www.gassafetyusa.com
We now have a documented baseline for the air quality in many areas in Attleboro, Rehoboth, and Seekonk. We will hold onto this scientific data, which includes GPS positioning, in the event the compressor station does, indeed, get built. These baseline tests, conducted with state of the art equipment, can detect as little as 1 part per billion of gas in the air, which affords us a legal footing in the event of a problem to hold the responsible parties accountable. We plan on doing additional & definitive air testing at some specific locations as well.
Our next step is to focus on the baseline well water testing. CARCS volunteers may be knocking on your door to sample your well water with your permission. We do need additional funding to expand the scope of the water testing, so please go to our Donations page make a contribution to the cause which will protect you and your environment!
11/06/17 Compressor Station Bylaw 4.11 Passes!
CARCS member Brian Hatch explains the Bylaw at the Special Rehoboth Town Meeting - Click below to watch the videos
Press Release 10/24/17
BOSTON: REHOBOTH ANTI-COMPRESSOR STATION GROUP BACKS WEYMOUTH- ASKS GOVERNOR BAKER TO STOP SUPPORTING NEW GAS PIPELINES
CARCS members joined by Claire Miller from Toxics Actions Center at the Massachusetts
State House
Members of Citizens Against the Rehoboth Compressor Station (CARCS) traveled to Boston yesterday, on a mission to deliver 2,500 petition signatures from local supporters to the Governor’s Executive Office. Standing in front of the State House entrance, shoulder to shoulder with the growing numbers of members from various environmental, public health, and social justice representatives participating in Mass Power Forward’s “#StandUpCharlie” campaign, CARCS Director Tracy Manzella, called on Governor Baker “to act in the best interest of the people of the Commonwealth, not in the best interest of the fossil fuel industry.”
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Citizens Against the Compressor station was formed in 2016 in response to Spectra Energy’s Access Northeast Project to increase natural gas capacity by 35% which included a gas compressor station in North Rehoboth. The siting of a toxic industrial facility in a residential- zoned neighborhood quickly gained traction, especially in nearby Attleboro- where athletic fields and schools lie well within the “impact zone”. Since then, Rehoboth, Attleboro and Seekonk have each passed Resolutions in opposition, and CARCS has garnered a ground swell of support against the project in all three towns.
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Meanwhile under Enbridge Inc’s Atlantic Bridge project, Weymouth residents continue their protracted fight against the construction of a new gas compressor station in their town- with little to no response from the Governor. “Our compressor station project in Rehoboth may be temporarily on hold,” Manzella said, “but if Enbridge succeeds in finding a mechanism for Massachusetts electric customers to pay for their pipelines, we know they will be back.”
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She then went on to say, “We will all suffer the negative impacts if we allow these polluting gas capacity projects, therefore in solidarity with the town of Weymouth, we consign our 2,500 signatures to Governor Baker today, asking him to hold all project proposals to the strictest adherence of our state environmental regulations, and not to give an “easy pass” to greedy fossil fuel companies.”
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Press Release 10/22/17
Attleboro: Governor Candidate Setti Warren Speaks Out Against Rehoboth Compressor Station
10/22/2017 Press Release: Yesterday Newton Mayor and candidate for State Governor Setti Warren toured the site of the proposed Rehoboth Compressor Station at Poncin Hewitt Field and spoke out against any new gas expansion proposals.
Newton Mayor Setti Warren and Tracy Manzella CARCS director at Poncin Hewitt Sports Complex in Attleboro. Photo: Doug Pyron
Although Enbridge Inc has yet to reapply with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) since they withdrew their Access Northeast in June, Citizens Against the Rehoboth Compressor (CARCS) has not slowed down one bit. Instead of pulling down their signs to wait for the next battle, CARCS has been asking residents to keep their signs up and to add more! Over the summer months, CARCS has continued their community outreach at the Attleboro Farmers Market and elsewhere, collecting signatures to press Governor Baker to stop supporting any new gas pipeline projects. One of their most recent efforts to help protect residents from a compressor station should they reapply, has been to draft Article5: Compressor Station bylaw 4.11, which is on the warrant for a special Rehoboth Town Meeting vote on November 6th."The bylaws would contain safety regulations that would protect the town if this compressor does end up being built," said CARCS member attorney Brian Hatch from Attleboro.
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“You can’t imagine how excited we were, when Mayor Setti Warren reached out to CARCS to meet with us and to tour the compressor station location” said CARCS director, Tracy Manzella. “It is always gratifying when our policy makers show us they are listening, and that they are concerned”, she continued. “This is a complex issue, and every candidate for Governor should take the time necessary to get the facts about the numerous negative impacts to our state and its citizens should these gas projects go through.”
Yesterday Mayor Warren expressed how important it was for him come to the actual location and see how completely inappropriate and damaging an industrial facility would be in this residential neighborhood. Indeed, it was a beautiful fall day, and the Poncin Hewitt fields were brimming with families watching their children playing sports. “I think the Attorney General is right on point”, said Mayor Warren, “not only are these pipeline projects not beneficial from a ratepayer’s standpoint, there are huge adverse effects for this community- it’s wrong. The Governor should come down here and see this, listen, and make a decision based on what is in the best interest of the people he works for.”
To stop these projects CARCS hopes to convince Warren, along with other state politicians, that the pipeline is not just a federal issue. Although the Natural Gas Act states that interstate pipelines fall under federal jurisdiction, CARCS believes that they can be influenced by state opposition. "The state has more influence than it thinks," said Hatch. "We want the governor to stand against this."