Gabby Brown, (202) 495-3051, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Emily Norton, (508) 397-6839, emily.norton@sierraclub.org
Boston, M.A. -- Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey filed an initial brief on Tuesday in the matter of National Grid’s request for approval of a Special Contract with luxury real estate developer One Dalton LLC., recommending that the state’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU) deny the request. The Special Contract would pave the way for construction of the Back Bay/South End Pipeline to service the luxury hotel and condominiums of One Dalton. The Attorney General cited that the Special Contract would “set a precedent that would allow customers with the greatest economic resources to avoid paying their full capital investment obligations and obtain special distribution rates at the expense of other customers.”
In response, Emily Norton, Massachusetts Chapter Director for the Sierra Club, issued the following statement:
"We applaud the Attorney General's recommendation that the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) deny the Special Contract between National Grid and One Dalton LLC. This Special Contact is nothing more than a sweetheart deal for a luxury real estate developer, that would require ratepayers to subsidize carbon pollution for the wealthy and force Boston communities to live with the daily pollution and threat of leaks from a new dirty, fracked gas pipeline.
“The City of Boston will not meet its greenhouse gas reduction commitments by continuing to allow massive new development powered by fossil fuels. The world just witnessed us experience a storm so severe the Atlantic Ave. MBTA stop had to be shut down due to flooding, and a dumpster floated down a city street. What more evidence do we need that we must move aggressively to invest in clean energy, not double down on fossil fuels?”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.