Norfolk Approves Resolution Opposing Pipeline

Residents attending Norfolk’s May 9 town meeting voted in opposition to the proposed Spectra Energy gas pipeline slated to go through town.
By an almost unanimous voice vote, town meeting members supported the resolution to record opposition to the pipeline and urge Governor Baker and state officials to oppose it as well.
Resident Angela Wilcox, an abutter to the proposed pipeline, and members of No Norfolk MA Gas Pipeline, the group that drafted the resolution, say the pipeline is not needed. They cite several studies, including one by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy, disputing the need for more gas infrastructure in the state. The group says the risks of a high-pressure, fracked gas pipeline going through a heavily-populated area are unacceptable.
The approved resolution, noted Wilcox, does not stop Spectra from moving forward with pipeline plans.
“This doesn’t stop Spectra from coming out and surveying. This doesn’t stop anything,” emphasized Wilcox. “It’s still important to write our legislators that we are not happy with this pipeline in our communities.”
Spectra Energy plans to install the pipeline through Massachusetts as part of its Access Northeast project. The 21-mile pipeline, called the Q-1 Loop, will go through nine towns, including Norfolk. The Access Northeast project is part of a bigger effort to expand pipeline capacity along the East Coast into Canada.
No Norfolk MA Gas Pipeline members suggest Norfolk residents keep apprised of the proposed Weymouth compressor station project. Wilcox pointed out that the failure of that project could derail Spectra’s efforts.
“Weymouth is instrumental in stopping the whole line,” she said. “It’s important to see what we can do there.”
No Norfolk MA Gas Pipeline meets monthly at Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary. Contact Angela Wilcox at 781-241-2083 for more information, or visit the group’s Facebook page. Visit www.NOspectraMA.org for information about Spectra Energy’s Access Northeast project.