Agenda Summary
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In support of An Act Relative to the Future of Clean Heat in the Commonwealth and An Act Establishing a Moratorium on New Gas System Expansion.
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Official Text
WHEREAS: Massachusetts has a mandate to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, requiring that buildings, which are responsible for one-third of all climate-damaging emissions, must stop burning carbon based combustible fuels, such as“natural” gas, which is 95% methane; and
WHEREAS: Large methane pipeline system expansions, such as the Eversource Western Massachusetts Reliability Project in Springfield, are currently being proposed in Massachusetts, waste resources that are needed for the transition; and
WHEREAS: Geo-thermal technology is already being used to replace the burning of carbon fuels with cleaner, safer non-combusting renewable energy using heat pumps to heat and cool our buildings; and
WHEREAS: Under the current Massachusetts Gas System Enhancement Program (GSEP), gas companies will continue to spend billions installing new replacement methane pipes; and
WHEREAS: Under the GSEP, ratepayers would be paying off the new replacement pipes for 50 years, long after they have been retired, placing a burden on ratepayers and wasting resources that are needed for the transition to non-combustible fuels; and
WHEREAS: Advanced leak repair is vastly less expensive than replacing pipes and is safe and effective at controlling leaks; and
WHEREAS: The transition off methane cannot be achieved by individual action alone, because households with means will switch to heat pumps, leaving lower income households to shoulder the burden of maintaining the entire system; and
WHEREAS: The transition requires a strategic plan to retire the gas distribution system neighborhood by neighborhood, replacing it with non-combusting energy; and
WHEREAS: Somerville is committed to moving off methane and doing so in a fair and equitable manner; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED: That the Somerville City Coun...
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