Business Petition
PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES
Spectra Energy is working to build a gas compressor station in our community. This will negatively impact not only Rehoboth but the surrounding towns of Attleboro, Seekonk, Dighton, East Providence and Pawtucket. If approved, Spectra Energy Algonquin Transmission LLC’s Access Northeast (ANE) new gas and pipeline infrastructures would cut across neighborhoods, farms, forests, wetlands, countless acres of both public and private property, and scar our Commonwealth’s lands. Also, compressor stations are notorious for being noisy, driving down property values, and bringing health and safety risks to host communities.
Spectra’s project is about Spectra profits, but attempting to control their message and gain regional support they contact local officials and business owners early on, alluding to falling energy prices and more jobs. But as Spectra imports their own labor force for the construction phase of their projects, job creation is dependably very limited and temporary in nature. Also, contrary to Spectra’s claims, Spectra is using our region as the thruway, seeking to export their gas through LNG facilities in Canada. Increased demand, combined with already significantly higher gas prices overseas, would drive up the cost of our electricity domestically. Worse still, by increasing an already high regional overdependence on natural gas, Massachusetts businesses and homeowners alike, would have no alternative to sky rocketing electric rates.
NOT NEEDED
In November, 2015 our Attorney General issued a study that determined new gas infrastructure is not needed to keep the lights on in Massachusetts. New England already gets over 61% of our electricity from gas, and our focus should be on meeting key climate goals by increasing investment in viable renewable energy resources. A more diversified energy portfolio which includes increases in clean energy would create jobs, help local economies and reduce our dependence upon fossil fuels.
NOT ON OUR DIME
Recently (April 2016) the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decided electric ratepayers in our state should not be forced to finance Spectra Energy’s pipeline infrastructure. But Spectra Energy continues to seek other means to force us to pay for their project.
GOVERNOR BAKER,
Business owners resoundingly call on you to withdraw your support for Spectra Energy’s Access Northeast pipeline expansion (ANE), which includes a compressor station build in Rehoboth, MA. We further ask that you stop supporting any further pipeline taxes of any kind, which would be expensive costing businesses with even more of our money going out of state. We also ask that when Spectra Energy files, you will publicly hold any gas infrastructure proposals to the strictest standards throughout the permit approval process. Additionally, we call on you, Governor Baker to keep Massachusetts first in the nation on energy efficiency and keep us moving towards more renewable energy. In order for businesses to thrive, we need you to adopt an action plan which protects us from future price fluctuations, which inordinately hurts our business community.