Eversource, National Grid withdraw filings; pipeline co. vows to continue

Spectra committed to pipeline project, utilities withdraw DPU filings

Eversource, National Grid withdraw filings; pipeline co. vows to continue

By Michael P. Norton
State House News Service

Posted:   08/23/2016 03:48:55 PM EDT | Updated:   about 4 hours ago

BOSTON: The company leading the push for a major natural gas pipeline project that would serve New England appeared undeterred Tuesday by news that both Eversource and National Grid this week withdrew related applications for approval of natural gas transportation and storage contracts.
In filings on Monday to the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), Eversource and National Grid cited last week's Supreme Judicial Court decision barring ratepayer financing of pipeline projects, such as the proposed Access Northeast project.

In response to a News Service inquiry, Arthur Diestel, stakeholder outreach director at Spectra Energy, said Tuesday, "We are committed to assuring that Access Northeast remains on track to meet strong demand in Massachusetts and New England to bring to the region the energy that is so desperately needed."

The SJC decision "provides no solution to the energy cost, reliability, and environmental challenges that the New England region faces today," Diestel said. He said in an email that "our work to obtain contract approval will continue throughout the New England states. As we evaluate our path forward in Massachusetts, we remain confident that the Access Northeast project will ultimately provide substantial benefits to consumers across the New England region."

Diestel added, "Without targeted expansion of natural gas capacity, New England energy consumers are at significant risk for ever-increasing energy prices and ever-diminishing supply reliability."

In February 2015, Spectra and Eversource officials announced National Grid was enlisting as a co-developer of the $3 billion effort to expand existing pipelines to bring an additional 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas to the region for electricity generation. They said the project could lead to a more than 20 percent increase in natural gas supply to New England and cost savings for ratepayers.

The SJC ruling represented a blow to Gov. Charlie Baker's efforts to increase the flow of natural gas to the region, and arrived as the administration prepares to implement a new law authorizing the purchase of large-scale hydropower and offshore wind resources.

In a opinion written by recently retired Justice Robert Cordy, the state's top court said the pipeline tariff would "reexpose ratepayers to the very types of risks that the Legislature sought to protect them from" with a 1997 law deregulating the electricity generation market.

Massachusetts AG Renews Attack on Gun Owners

Friday, August 26, 2016

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Last week, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey added to the confusion caused by her decision to unilaterally ban common semi-automatic firearms by releasing a list of “Guns That Are Not Assault Weapons.” In other words, she decided to independently, once again, confuse law-abiding citizens about a law that has existed for nearly two decades with another “opinion” that has little to do with the law itself.

As we have reported, Healey’s original “enforcement notice”, conveniently released while the Massachusetts’s State Legislature was in recess for the GOP Convention, created confusion among Bay Staters as to whether or not they were in violation of a law nearly two decades old, resulting in a massive upsurge in firearm purchases. 

In addition to confusing the citizens who she’s supposed to represent, Healey’s new “directive” does nothing to clarify what criteria she is using to justify her new interpretation of existing law. Her list of guns not defined as “assault weapons” includes firearms such as:

• Any Ruger Mini 14 or substantially-similar model weapon;
• Any Springfield Armory M1A or substantially similar model weapon;
• Any of the hundreds of rifles and shotguns listed on this list—Appendix A to 18 U.S.C. § 922, as appearing on September 13, 1994;

Gun owners, collectors and enthusiasts do not need to be told that a Ruger Mini-14, a Springfield M1A and a long list of 1994-era hunting rifles and shotguns do not qualify as “assault weapons.” On the other hand, what the law-abiding citizens of Massachusetts deserve is clarification of the overly vague criteria on which Maura Healey interpreted the law in the first place. Massachusetts Governor, Charlie D. Baker, shares that sentiment. In his July 26 letter to Attorney General Healey, he writes, “…ambiguities in your notice require clarification for responsible gun owners who simply want to follow the rules and for the thousands of gun owners who were told they were following the rules for eighteen years.”

The intent of the 1998 Massachusetts law, signed by Governor Paul Cellucci, made it clear that the definition of an “assault weapon” would mirror the then-current 1994 federal “assault weapon” ban, the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act.  Healey’s recent interpretation of an “assault weapon” goes far beyond the intended definition of the 1998 Massachusetts law and her additional interpretation of what “isn’t” an assault weapon only makes matters worse.

In addition to working with local groups like Gun Owners Action League (GOAL), your NRA continues to explore all legal and legislative options to protect the rights of Massachusetts gun owners. Stay tuned.

Water line woes keep crews busy in Worcester

WORCESTER - Residents on Amesbury Street got a surprise Friday morning when their quiet neighborhood road suddenly turned into a river.

This water main break, one of four in the city within 24 hours, was near the intersection of Knight Street and dumped hundreds of gallons of water toward Oakview Street, cutting water service to houses in the area and covering the road with dirt and debris.

Worcester Public Works employee Mike Denault, who was working nearby, said that when he arrived, Amesbury Street was like a river. The water did not get high enough to get into homes, but covered the road.

Crews were also on hand nearby on Plantation Street near Interstate 290, and on Brierway Drive off Massasoit Road in the southern part of the city. Motorists are advised to avoid those streets. Another occurred on Cambridge Street near Camp Street, the only break for which repairs had not been confirmed by Friday evening.

Working at the Amesbury Street water break, Public Works employee Phil Gagnon said all three breaks came within a short time of each other. He said the Amesbury Street leak may have been caused by a surge through the line caused by the Plantation Street break. He said the city has also been busy repairing leaks to home water services.

"We have to get those leaks repaired due to the drought," Mr. Gagnon said.

Breaks and leaks are more common in the winter and spring due to frost. Although it is unclear why they are happening this summer, Mr. Gagnon said very warm and dry weather this summer may have been a factor.

The break on Amesbury Street was expected to take several hours to repair. A Public Works employee was stopping along the street to tell homeowners they could be out of water for six to eight hours.