Vignesh Ramachandran, 350 Mass, 510-676-4691, vignesh@betterfutureproject.org
Deb Pasternak, MA Sierra Club, 617-423-5775, deb.pasternak@sierraclub.org
BOSTON, MA— On September 8th, hundreds of people mobilized in East Boston to protest a planned Eversource high-voltage electric substation, and rallied for better, safer jobs; common-sense protections for immigrants; and bold action on climate change. The mobilization was one of more than 480 around the world. In San Francisco tens of thousands of people flooded the streets demanding action from governors and business leaders at the Global Climate Action Summit, while communities across the nation came together to galvanize engagement in the midterm elections.
The action in Boston united environmental justice organizations, faith communities, labor unions, immigrant rights and climate advocacy groups from across Massachusetts in calling on policymakers to prioritize the needs of their constituents over corporate profits. The event concluded with a march from the East Boston Greenway to the Chelsea Creek and the site of Eversource’s proposed high voltage electrical substation that would be built in an area at risk of flooding and next to a 8 million gallons of stored jet-fuel. The project would be funded by Eastern Massachusetts ratepayers, and Eversource has produced no evidence that this project is necessary to meet electricity demand.
Although the local communities in Chelsea and East Boston have organized against the substation, the City of Boston and the Energy Facilities Siting Board have waived it ahead. John Walkey, an organizer with GreenRoots Chelsea, said, “While the city of Boston uses buzzwords like coastal resilience and carbon neutral, this project is at odds with those forward thinking initiatives. Given the downward trend of energy usage, there is a clear need for a re-evaluation on whether this high-voltage substation in a densely populated community is necessary.”
The connections between climate change and immigration were raised throughout the event, with East Boston being both an immigrant community and Boston’s most vulnerable neighborhood when it comes to impacts from climate change, including sea level rise and flooding. It is also home to Logan Airport and the jet fuel storage for all the planes. “Many immigrants come to the U.S. escaping the devastation from climate change and the fossil fuel industry in their home countries. In East Boston and many other communities of color in the U.S., those threats don’t disappear,” said Gillian Mason, Co-Executive Director of Jobs with Justice.
“All immigrants deserve dignity, respect, and permanent protection, and that includes a healthy and safe living environment. We won’t let Eversource dump another dangerous facility on our community,” said Dylan Lazerow, organizer with the immigrant justice group Cosecha.
“Extreme storms and flooding have pushed our families out of our homes in Puerto Rico, Haiti, the list goes on. And now they threaten to do the same in East Boston, along with ongoing threats of pollution, gentrification, and deportation. We fight against forced displacement, whether that is caused by corporate landlords, ICE, or the ravages of extreme storms and flood related to climate change. Our community is not disposable,” said Steve Meacham, Organizing Coordinator of the housing justice group City Life/Vida Urbana.
The action also highlighted the increased risks for workers caused by climate change. Airport workers at nearby Logan Airport, many immigrants themselves, have been struggling with increasingly dangerous working conditions during recent heat waves. “Climate change impacts working families in so many different ways,” said Roxana Rivera, Vice President of 32BJ SEIU, the airport workers’ union. “Like many in our society, airport workers are seeing the impact at work as airlines cut costs and turn off air conditioning in the planes, even during record heat waves. We need to stand together to protect our climate, for workers, for their families and for all of our communities”
"Climate change drives human migration, it threatens the health of workers, and the safety of the communities, especially those facing other environmental risks like East Boston. We are coming together to demand that our representatives prioritize the well being of people over the profits of powerful corporations like Eversource," said Alan Palm, Organizing Director for 350 Massachusetts for a Better Future.
“We’re rising up for a liveable climate and for safe, healthy communities. We’re rising up for permanent protection for immigrants, and family-sustaining jobs. We’re rising up because climate justice is immigration justice is worker justice. These issues are intrinsically linked, and the only way we’ll solve them is by working together to build collective people power across movements,” said Michele Brooks, an organizer for the Massachusetts Sierra Club.
Throughout the rally participants affirmed their intent to continue organizing to build a People’s movement in Massachusetts, especially heading into the midterm elections, to challenge entrenched interests and show that real leadership rises from the grassroots up.
Speaking about youth engagement in politics, Varshini Prakash, a volunteer with the Sunrise Movement said, “Our generation is fed up with a political establishment that time and again prioritizes the profits of fossil fuel CEOs over the safety and well-being of millions of people across the world. We are rising today to give voice to young people’s outrage at witnessing a lifetime of inaction on climate change into grassroots political power and making clear to our leaders: take action to stop this crisis, or we’ll do everything in our power to vote you out.”
The RISE event engaged a local coalition of over 20 labor unions, environmental justice groups, faith organizations, immigrant justice organizations, youth groups, and climate activism groups.
Additional information on the Boston mobilization, including attendance estimates, is here.
Photographs from the event will be available to download by 9pm, September 8th.
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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.