A new state regulation requires utilities to identify these super leaks of methane gas! Two Mothers Out Front, Zeyneb Magavi and Debbie New are quoted in this article, as well as our friend Audrey Schulman from HEET!

In the words of Father Out Front and Professor Nathan Phillips regarding WBUR 90.9 FM's coverage linked below:

"Congrats to HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team) & the #GasLeakAllies for translating research to policy; to Margaret Cherne-Hendrick & Bob Ackley for key research; Gas Safety USA for being first to raise the issue; & Mothers Out Front for engaging MA communities to fix this!"

 

        

Zeyneb Magavi, Audrey Schulman, Nathan Phillips and Debbie New                                  Margaret Cherne-Hendrick, Zeyneb and Audrey

 

[embedlycard url="https://www.wbur.org/earthwhile/2019/04/01/natural-gas-methane-leaks-massachusetts-rule"]

Thank you to Abby Williams and Amy Hill, Mem­bers of Moth­ers Out Front, Westch­ester River­towns Team for #UsingYourMomVoice to push for less "natural" gas and congratulations on being published!

Cli­mate change is an ex­is­ten­tial threat that we do not have the lux­ury of ig­nor­ing. Our chil­dren’s fu­tures quite lit­er­ally de­pend on our abil­ity to re­duce green­house gases in the im­me­di­ate fu­ture. It is im­per­a­tive of all new con­struc­tion to con­sider this re­al­ity as we plan for the next 10, 20, 30 years and be­yond.

Read the letter here:

[embedlycard url="https://thehudsonindependent.com/letters-con-ed-gas-moratorium-is-a-momentous-opportunity/"]

Thank you to everyone who showed up to get action on climate!

One major group at the rally was the Sunrise Movement, which is mostly for young people who are looking to support some kind of green new deal. Another community organization that joined the movement was Mothers Out Front, led by Ithaca High School’s art teacher Gina Cacioppo.

Although many of the speakers discussed global climate efforts, Cacioppo spoke about one in Tompkins County’s backyard: the use of fracked gas at the Cayuga Power Plant in Lansing. A highly controversial issue, Cacioppo spoke about how the plant isn’t in regular use because it’s a peaker plant, meaning it is primarily used when more power is used by residents throughout the county.

[embedlycard url="https://www.ithaca.com/news/ihs-green-team-organizes-climate-change-march-and-rally/article_1e9aaa00-49a4-11e9-9396-abb4fabe5336.html"]

Mother Out Front in Lansing NY, Diane Beckwith starts her letter with:

My family has lived in Lansing for 24 years. We live just off Rt. 34B, five miles north of the Lansing Schools and just 2 miles south of the Cayuga Power Plant. The owners have submitted a permit request to convert the plant to natural gas. All of this gas would be transported by truck.

Find out why this matters; read the whole letter here: 

[embedlycard url="https://www.lansingstar.com/opinions-archive/15802-letters-gas-trucks-in-lansing"]

Media Advisory for Saturday, March 30, 2019

Contact: Alise Murawski at amurawski@westendstrategy.comor 202-702-6903

Concerned Mothers Hold Urgent Public Forum About Gas Leaks, Climate Change

Over 800 methane gas leaks in Worcester alone, community must act

WORCESTER, MASS.– Mothers Out Front Worcester is holding an urgent public forum on gas leak safety and climate change on Saturday, March 30 at 3 p.m. at the YWCA of Central Massachusetts.

After months of research and an audit of gas leaks, Mothers Out Front Worcester is gathering the community to take action against the serious threats posed by aging gas infrastructure and climate change. Worcester has over 800 methane gas leaks, some on school properties and in other sensitive locations.

The forum will discuss actions that can be undertaken by the community and individuals to reduce the harm caused by Worcester’s aging gas infrastructure. Speakers will include representatives from Gas Safety USA, Mass Energy Consumer Alliance, the Worcester Tree Initiative and more.

Mothers in Massachusetts are holding the governor's administration accountable for a fair and unbiased review of the state's gas infrastructure, following last September’s gas explosions in Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley.

Debbie New of Mothers Out Front still holds hope the review will reflect the public’s interest. “There's an opportunity now for our DPU that hired them — and that's on the Independent Review Panel — to demonstrate that they're working for the public, not the utilities, by giving us a comprehensive, transparent report.”

[embedlycard url="https://www.desmogblog.com/2019/03/13/massachusetts-national-grid-enbridge-independently-review-natural-gas"]

Mothers Out Front Worcester are taking on gas leaks in their town and working to make sure children going to school aren't exposed to methane pollution.

Many natural gas leaks go unrepaired for long periods of time, but it is illegal for gas companies to let leaks within 50 feet of a school building remain unfixed. In Worcester, as in many cities, there are hundreds of reported natural gas leaks from old, corroded underground pipes. The gas seeps slowly into the atmosphere, polluting the environment, costing rate payers, and possibly causing health problems.

“The objective is to frame the forum as a way to share the findings with the larger community, hear from experts about the dangers of gas leaks, and also hear about current legislation to address how utilities are held accountable,” said Etel Haxhiaj, a local organizer with Mothers Out Front.

[embedlycard url="https://www.worcestermag.com/news/20190213/local-group-turns-up-heat-on-natural-gas-leaks-at-worcester-schools"]

Kelsey Wirth, co-founder of Mothers Out Front and Jennifer Rogers-Brown, Mothers Out Front NY's leadership team sent a message to Governor Cuomo in this Letter to the Editor published in the Times Union! #InTheNews

Cuomo needs a 2019 state energy plan that has concrete, enforceable targets for greenhouse gas emissions reduction in all sectors, and that centers workers and low-income New Yorkers in the decision-making process. A clean energy future will lead to healthier communities, particularly in low-income communities disproportionately affected by dirty energy sources, and will enable Cuomo to strengthen the state's economy and add to the more than 85,000 New Yorkers who work in the clean energy sector.

Read it all by clicking below:

[embedlycard url="https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Viewpoint-Back-up-renewable-energy-pledges-with-13515563.php"]

Mothers Out Front in the news!

Environmental groups including 350 Massachusetts, Mothers Out Front and Massachusetts Power Forward have been involved with the fight against the compressor station and were at the rally.

For more info, click below:

[embedlycard url="http://www.patriotledger.com/news/20190112/protesting-pipeline-in-weymouth-fight-continues"]

January 12, 2019 - 

WEYMOUTH:Clutching pickets, a group of residents, activists and politicians ardently against a proposed North Weymouth natural-gas compressor station held a rally on the banks of the Fore River on Saturday afternoon....Environmental groups including 350 Massachusetts, Mothers Out Front and Massachusetts Power Forward have been involved with the fight against the compressor station and were at the rally.

[embedlycard url="https://www.patriotledger.com/news/20190112/protesting-pipeline-in-weymouth-fight-continues"]