Statement of Jen Baker, Environmental Policy Associate
Harbor Islands Hearing
March 8, 2006
Chairman
Montigny, Chairman Flynn, thank you for the opportunity to testify. My
name is Jen Baker; I am an environmental policy associate with
MASSPIRG. MASSPIRG is a state-based, non-profit, non-partisan public
interest advocacy group with over 50,000 members across the state. I am
here today to testify in opposition to House Bill 4500.
We
will all hear about energy issues today, but given the nature of this
proposal, we must first talk about the park that lies within our
Harbor. Both the park and the Harbor sit off our coast as symbols of
great Massachusetts success stories. As a result of a serious
commitment from dozens of political leaders and an investment of $4.5
billion, our once dirty harbor is now a source of pride, a place
residents and tourists can use and enjoy. As part of the Harbor’s
rebirth, Congress established the Boston Harbor Islands State Park and
National Recreation Area to protect and preserve these islands for the
“benefit and inspiration” (16 USC 460kkk (c)(1)) of tourists and
residents alike, in perpetuity, not to be auctioned off to the highest
bidder.
The
1996 Act of Congress that established the park was brilliant in that it
brought the 34 islands together, recognizing the fragile nature of the
island cluster, its surrounding bays and delicate ecosystem. Today, the
park is an unparalleled resource: a recreational sanctuary that boasts
dozens of programs and activities, granting visitors’ access to the
Islands and their unique natural and cultural resources. Visitors to
the park enjoy beautiful beaches, hiking paths, abundant fishing and
historic foundations and forts. To separate out Outer Brewster Island
and discuss it as solitary and remote is a grave mistake. Doing so
fails to recognize the interconnectedness of the islands and bays and
disregards the uniqueness of this park.
Outer
Brewster is the heart of a fragile cluster of islands and bays that
provide critical habitat for protected sea and shore birds, for
juvenile fish, for trophy striped bass and for the lobsters that are so
important to our region’s maritime economy. These waters are among the
most popular in the park for fishing, diving, bird watching and
boating. The views are incredible and the water finally cleaner and
clearer.
The
proposed LNG facility would destroy the integrity of a magnificent
recreational resource, damage critical habitat and restrict public
access to the park. Permitting this proposal to proceed sends
absolutely the wrong message: That our public parklands are for sale,
ready and waiting to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
The
mission statement of the National Parks Service reads to “preserve(s)
unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the
national parks system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of
this and future generations” (U.S. Department of the Interior, National
Parks Service Mission Statement). Constructing an LNG facility in a
national recreation area, without a doubt, runs contrary to that
mission. Further, it does a huge disservice to Massachusetts and
Boston. Our history and our identity are defined by our existence on
the water. The Big Dig and the Harbor Restoration were conceived in
part to reestablish the city’s relationship with the ocean. Handing
away our island park for an energy company to develop would be an
irreversible mistake.
Our
state and national parks embody a promise to preserve our land, our
heritage and our culture for future generations. We cannot renege on
that promise.
Jen Baker
Environmental Policy Associate
617.747.4313
