BOSTON
- Tuesday, May 4, 2021 - Building on a commitment of environmental
justice and protecting public health, Mayor Janey today, Chief of
Environment, Energy and Open Space Reverend Mariama White-Hammond, and
GreenRoots advocate Noemy Rodriguez, to urge Eversource to justify or
cancel its proposed electrical substation in East Boston.
“As
mayor of Boston, I will not remain silent when the people of East
Boston are crying out,” said Mayor Janey. “From what I have seen, the
substation plan is based on flawed projections and flawed priorities. I
urge Eversource to prioritize environmental equity and the wellbeing of
East Boston residents over their profits.”
In
February 2021, the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board gave
its final approval for an electrical substation near Chelsea Creek in
East Boston. Eversource Energy made the initial proposal in 2013,
stating the facility was necessary to support the capacity of a
substation in Chelsea. Eversource’s initial estimates for projected
energy demand have not been met and new, adjusted data has not been
shared publicly. Community members have expressed opposition over the
proposal, due to concerns about public safety and environmental
justice.
“Environmental
justice says we need to ask hard questions about who is asked to carry
the burden and who receives the benefits,” said Chief of Environment,
Energy and Open Space Mariama White-Hammond. “I stand with the Mayor and
the residents of East Boston to protect those residents who already
experience so many burdens. In addition to questioning whether we really
need this facility, we need to understand whether or not this facility
is in alignment with very real changes that are happening on our planet.
I look forward to continuing to work with the community to ensure
environmental justice for all residents of Boston.”
East Boston is considered a state designated Environmental Justice Community. 64 percent of community members are people of color and 54 percent of the community are immigrants.
This area faces a variety of environmental hazards, such as noise and
air pollution from Logan International Airport, traffic congestion,
storage of fuel, manufacturing processes along the Chelsea Creek, as
well as storage of road salt and sand along the Chelsea Creek. The
proposed location for the substation is adjacent to City Yards, a highly
utilized public park where children play, which could lead to potential
safety hazards. Climate change and rapid sea-level rise exacerbate the
potential danger of having an electrical substation on the waterfront.
The citing of this substation in an environmental justice community
already facing several environmental hazards, combined with the exposure
to children and the risk of flooding, is unsafe.
"Families
in East Boston have been through a lot this past year and we hope that
our parks can remain an environmentally safe and inviting space for our
children,” said Noemy Rodriguez of GreenRoots. “We carry enough of an
environmental burden already; if actually needed this substation should
be placed somewhere else."
Expanding
on Mayor Janey’s commitment to environmental justice and reducing air
pollution, last week the City of Boston began accepting applications for
the new Community Clean Air Grant program. Funded through the Air Pollution Control Commission,
the City is seeking to support locally-driven proposals from residents,
nonprofit organizations, and businesses for projects that will produce
meaningful, measurable steps to reduce the emissions that contribute to
climate change and air pollution. There will be three rounds of funding
throughout the year for projects that will contribute to the City of
Boston’s 2019 Climate Action Plan update,
which details specific actions the City is taking over five years to
significantly cut emissions across all sectors in order to reach
Boston’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The City of Boston
will be accepting applications until Friday, June 4th.
Mayor
Janey’s Administration is taking steps to recognize and address the
risks of climate change, and to protect Boston’s urban ecosystem. Last
month, Mayor Janey proposed the following investments for environmental
resilience and climate justice in the Fiscal Year 2022-2026 Capital Plan
proposal:
- $48
million for Phase 2 and 3 of Renew Boston Trust, which is designed to
identify energy retrofit project opportunities in City-owned buildings
to create future energy savings.
- $5
million for a Climate Ready Boston Harbor study to support the
development of a study that will examine the feasibility of measures
along and within the Boston Harbor to reduce vulnerability of coastal
flooding due to sea level rise caused by climate change.
- $20 million to design and implement a signature, climate resilient waterfront park along the Fort Point Channel.
- $1.7 million per year for the ongoing program of street tree planting throughout the city
- $1.8 million to repave pathways at Dorchester Park
- $7.5 million to repave pathways at the Back Bay Fens to improve accessibility and site conditions
- $15.5 million to complete the park redesign at Copley Square to optimize resilience to high-traffic events and storm-water
- $9.4 million to redesign and construct a new Malcolm X Park through the City’s first Equitable Procurement Pilot program
As
indicated in the 2019 Climate Action Plan update, the City of Boston is
taking action to lower carbon emissions and reverse the impacts of
climate change. Between 2005 and 2016, the amount of carbon pollution
emitted by city operations was reduced by 18 percent. This year, the City announced the completion of $11 million in energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades to 14 municipal buildings, representing $680,000 in savings and a one percent reduction in municipal greenhouse gas emissions. In February, Community Choice Electricity
began supplying over 200,000 residences and commercial customers with
more affordable and renewable electricity. In order to provide high
quality, safe, and cleaner affordable housing to our most vulnerable
residents, the City of Boston recently awarded $34 million to support the creation of 608 new units that will be built to zero emissions standards. Climate Ready Boston
is simultaneously strengthening Boston’s climate change resilience and
adaptation with near- and long-term planning through neighborhood-level
engagement and solutions.
For
more information on how Boston is actively preparing for the impacts of
climate change and advancing the vision of a resilient city, visit boston.gov/environment.
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