Last Wednesday, City Councilors Matt O’Malley, Ed Flynn, and Ayanna Pressley introduced an order for a hearing to examine the safety of the City of Boston’s gas infrastructure at the Boston City Council meeting. On Thursday, September 13th, residents of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover faced a catastrophic natural gas incident that resulted in fires and explosions. The Councilors plan to examine the local safety practices of Boston’s natural gas infrastructure, the city’s role in emergency preparedness, and opportunities for improvements to safety and coordination.
“What happened in the Merrimack Valley last week was horrifying, and we are thankful for Boston’s first responders for their rapid response to support the residents of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover,” said Councilor Matt O’Malley. In 2016, Councilor O’Malley and Chairman of the Environment, Sustainability and Parks led the Council in passing an ordinance to prevent the health and safety risks of natural gas in 2016, which is being disputed in court by a utility company. “I hope our hearing can explore natural gas safety features like updated shut-off valves, communication strategies to inform residents about disaster preparedness, and improved coordination between the city, its residents, and the private companies responsible for this infrastructure.”
“The horrible events last week in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover were a scary scene to say the least. It should give us all pause to reflect on how critical it is that we maintain the safety of natural gas infrastructure in our city,” said Councilor Ed Flynn. “We do not look to cause panic, but I find it wholly reasonable that we act with caution and have this conversation to examine the safety practices of dealing with natural gas and our emergency preparedness.”
“First and foremost, I am heartbroken for the family of the young man who lost his life in Lawrence. It is a tragedy. Councilors O’Malley, Flynn and I are filing this hearing order to continue to examine our current natural gas infrastructure, which includes our existing natural gas leaks. This hearing will be focused on ensuring that we are utilizing every best practice to fix our natural gas leaks and protecting our neighbors and the environment from any potential disaster,” said Councilor Ayanna Pressley.
