The Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council - the regional planning association representing 101 cities and towns in the Greater Boston area - have also been vocal in their opposition to the project. Leading the fight are environmental groups like FRRACS (Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station), Mothers Out Front, the Sunrise Movement, the Sierra Club of Massachusetts and 350 Mass For A Better Future. Though no public opinion polling about the compressor exists, there is widespread opposition to the project in Massachusetts. According to the company’s website, it has about 23,850 miles of gas pipelines in North America, and transports “about 19% of all natural gas consumed in the United States.” (Courtesy of Enbridge.)Īs is often the case with big energy projects, there are a few companies involved including Algonquin Gas Transmission, Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline Limited Partnership and Spectra Energy.īut the important name to remember is Enbridge.Įnbridge Inc., a $170-billion energy company based in Canada, is the parent company to all the smaller companies involved in the Atlantic Bridge Project.Įnbridge makes most of its money by transporting Canadian crude oil into the U.S., but natural gas is also a big part of its business. Because of the environmental and health risks associated with fracking, the process is controversial.) A map of the Atlantic Bridge Project.

The technique has been around for decades but took off in the U.S. It involves drilling deep into the earth and injecting a high-pressure liquid - usually water, sand and other chemicals - into bedrock to force the gas out through fissures or other openings. (“Fracking,” or hydraulic fracturing, is a technique for extracting natural gas. The purpose of the project is to make it easier for “fracked” natural gas from the Marcellus Shale of western Pennsylvania to get to northern New England and Canada, and it does this by connecting two existing pipeline systems: the Algonquin Gas Transmission, which flows from New Jersey into Massachusetts, and the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, which flows from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia, Canada.

The 7,700-horsepower Weymouth compressor is part of a larger gas pipeline plan called the Atlantic Bridge Project. There are five existing compressor stations in Massachusetts - one each in Hopkinton, Mendon, Charlton, Agawam and Southwick - and another 1,700 or so across the country. By compressing the gas, these facilities “boost” pressure in the pipeline and help move the gas long distances. As gas flows through a pipe, friction and turbulence naturally slow it down. So once again, whether you've been reading about the issue for years and have questions, or are just hearing about the project for the first time, here's what you need to know:Ĭompressor stations are a critical part of natural gas pipelines systems. WBUR published an explainer about the compressor station in June 2019, but given how much has happened since then, we felt it was time for an update. The Weymouth compressor itself is a complicated project that involves multiple state and federal agencies and private companies - and that’s before you factor in all the litigation and local controversy the facility has generated.

Meanwhile, the company building the compressor station cleared every legal and regulatory hurdle in its way, and construction has moved forward. They’ve waged public awareness campaigns, challenged the project’s environmental permits in court, and even resorted to civil disobedience. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR) This article is more than 1 year old.įor the last five years, a coalition of South Shore towns, politicians and local activists have tried to block the construction of a natural gas compressor station in North Weymouth. The Weymouth gas compressor station by the Fore River photographed on Sept.

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