Politicians send emergency motion for stay of construction on West Roxbury Lateral pipeline

Julie M. Cohen jcohen@wickedlocal.com

The Transcript continues to investigate the controversial West Roxbury Lateral gas pipeline project that is due to run by the West Roxbury Crushed Stone quarry where there is ongoing blasting. In the latest move, politicians representing the neighborhood are awaiting word from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on their emergency motion for a stay of construction.

With shovels already in the ground in Westwood and Dedham, politicians who represent West Roxbury are continuing to take proactive steps to halt the West Roxbury Lateral natural gas pipeline going through the neighborhood.

Spectra Energy’s West Roxbury Lateral is a 5-mile stretch of the larger Algonquin Incremental Market pipeline (AIM). The section slated to go through West Roxbury would be built near the West Roxbury Crushed Stone Quarry where there is active blasting.

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, state Sen. Mike Rush, state Rep. Ed Coppinger and Boston City Councilor Matt O’Malley last week sent an emergency motion for a stay of construction of the pipeline to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

In the letter the politicians stated that the, “communities face irreparable harm in the absence of a stay given that the entire portion of the WR Lateral and West Roxbury Meter Station (WR Station) will be located in high consequence areas (HCA) ‘where a gas pipeline accident could do considerable harm to people and their property,’ and in which the blast radius for a pipeline or meter station explosion spans 300 feet.”

As of Monday, June 29, FERC had not yet responded to the letter.

So far Spectra has not requested any permits from the city of Boston for the pipeline’s construction.

O’Malley, who represents West Roxbury, said they sent the letter because, “We wanted to take a proactive approach” to stopping the project from moving forward. “We are prepared to use every tool we have to stop this foolish plan.”

Both want FERC to instruct Spectra to move the proposed metering station from next to the quarry, which O’Malley said is, “shortsighted at best, extremely dangerous at worse.”

“We’ve been very systematic in the way we’ve approached this,” said Coppinger, a West Roxbury resident. “Our hope is that this (the emergency motion) will prompt them (FERC) to order a rehearing or at least give a decision on the rehearing.”

However, Coppinger said, “We get the sense that they (FERC) just rubber-stamps things.”

The letter emphasizes that “while the harm to the Local Officials’ communities would be irreparable in the absence of a stay, Algonquin would not be prejudiced if a stay is granted because Algonquin can feasibly pursue viable alternatives for its metering station site as well as its route for the WR Lateral.”

Coppinger, who acknowledged, “We do need natural gas,” said the representatives’ main concern remains moving the pipeline’s location for reasons of safety. He said that constituents who live near the quarry are worried.

Both were impressed by the vocal opponents who have protested against the pipeline.

“The level of civic engagement … has certainly been effective,” said O’Malley. “It’s been impressive.”

Meanwhile, Marylee Hanley, Spectra’s director of stakeholder outreach, said, “We are in the process of reviewing the motion and evaluating how best to proceed before FERC.”

Neither Coppinger nor O’Malley would elaborate on the next steps they may take to prevent the pipeline’s construction should FERC not grant the stay.