As the new home of MASSPIRG's environmental work, Environment Massachusetts can be contacted regarding this news release.
BOSTON
– As they prepare for a Wednesday hearing on legislation to convert an
island in the Boston Harbor Islands State Park and National Recreation
Area into the nation’s largest LNG terminal and storage depot, the
park’s defenders announced that they have the votes to stop the
proposal.
On Wednesday the groups will release letters from sixteen Senators and fifty-eight Representatives
opposing legislation that would transfer Outer Brewster Island in the
Boston Harbor Islands State Park and National Recreation Area to an
energy company for the construction of a controversial LNG terminal and
storage facility.
The
letters, addressed to Senate President Robert Travaglini and Speaker
Salvatore DiMasi, were circulated by open space advocates Senators
Robert Hedlund and Pamela Resor, and by Representatives Garrett
Bradley, Brian Wallace and Ruth Balser.
"This
will be a victory for those who worked to clean up Boston Harbor and
those who helped create and preserve the Boston Harbor Islands National
Park. Future generations will enjoy and appreciate this state treasure
as a result of today's bipartisan effort to block this misguided
proposal," said Senator Hedlund. "This is a defeat for those who seek
to use the legislature for quick profit at the expense of this valuable
public resource." Hedlund added, “In addition to thanking those
colleagues who have joined me in opposition to this proposal, I want to
offer special thanks to Sen. Resor for her leadership on this issue as
well as recognize the extraordinary efforts MASSPIRG and Save the
Harbor/Save the Bay. This would not have been possible without their
support and advocacy.”
Because
Outer Brewster is parkland, and protected by Article 97 of the
Massachusetts Constitution, House Bill 4500 would require a 2/3 vote of
both the Senate and the House to become law.
“Twenty
years into the Harbor clean up effort and ten years after the creation
of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, we should be
celebrating these great success stories, not fighting to stop the
industrialization of our park,” said Jen Baker, MASSPIRG environmental
policy associate who helped coordinate the effort to recruit over 1/3
of the Legislature to take a stand against the bill, on behalf of a
coalition of more than 24 groups. “Thanks to the commitment and
dedication of these elected officials, today we are one big step closer
to putting an end to this devastating proposal.”
“We created the park to protect and preserve these islands for the
public to use and enjoy forever, not to sell them off to the highest
bidder,” said Bruce Berman, of Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay, spokesman
for the groups opposing House Bill 4500, special interest legislation
filed by AES Corporation last November to lease Outer Brewster Island
for 99 years for the construction of the LNG facility. “We are proud to
announce that we have the votes to stop it.”
According
to the park’s defenders, the proposed facility is one of 17 pending
proposals to site new LNG facilities in the Northeast. The AES proposal
would be in addition to, and not a replacement for, the existing
terminal in Boston Harbor, and would have no impact whatsoever on the
other 16 proposals to bring gas into the region. It would destroy the
island, damage important habitat, and forever restrict recreational and
commercial access to the park to visitors, and for recreational and
commercial vessels, sailors, divers, fisherman, and lobsterman.
"This sends a powerful message that a critical mass of key decision makers are committed
to protecting important state and federal parkland rather than selling it off to one of
many participants in the regional 'LNG Derby,' " said Sue Reid, staff attorney at
Conservation Law Foundation. "Our regional energy needs can and should be met by
pursuing far wiser alternatives."
The
bill is scheduled for a public hearing before the Joint Committee on
Bonding, Capital Expenditures on Wednesday March 8th at 11 am in room
B-2.
Jen Baker can be reached for comment at: 617-818-3765.
Bruce Berman can be reached for comment at 617-293-6243.
Senator Robert Hedlund can be reached for comment at: 617-957-8775.
