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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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