Senators Warren, Markey, and Representative Lynch Urge FERC Grant Rehearing Request for Weymouth Compressor Station
Washington, D.C. - Last week, U.S. Senator Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter with Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.) to the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) urging the expeditious approval of the rehearing request for the in-service certificate issued for the Weymouth compressor station. The Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station (FRRACS) request for a rehearing was initially denied, but on January 19, the FERC ruled the denial was improper.
“In support of that decision, you stated that the compressor ‘raises serious environmental justice questions which we need to examine. The communities affected by the project are regularly subjected to high levels of pollution and residents are concerned emission from the station will make things worse.” the lawmakers wrote to the FERC.
“We understand FERC voted on February 18, 2021 to establish a paper briefing to examine the concerns expressed in this letter and in previous pleadings. We urge you to review these concerns fully and fairly, and to swiftly move to rehear the approval of the in-service certificate,” the lawmakers continued.
The compressor station sits in a densely populated residential area and poses a grave risk to the health and safety of Weymouth residents and surrounding communities. On January 22, 2021, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) allowed the Weymouth compressor station to resume operations following an investigation into unplanned gas releases that caused the site to deploy two emergency shutdowns in September 2020. After the emergency shutdowns, Senators Warren, Markey, and Rep. Lynch wrote a letter to FERC demanding it revoke the certificate of approval for the Weymouth compressor station due to the public safety threat of the site.
Senator Warren has been closely following the Weymouth Natural Gas Compressor and its risks. In June 2020, Senators Warren and Markey wrote FERC to halt construction of the natural gas compressor station in Weymouth, Massachusetts, due to ongoing environmental justice concerns.
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