Gas Leaks Tagging Project Project Description as of December 3, 2016
Help Needed
We want to set up a core group of advisors and “worker bees” to help plan and recruit tag team leaders and tagging teams. Ideally these teams will be organized by Ward with each Ward councilor visibly involved. We need help with publicity, printing of the gas tags, outreach to local PTO’s, family groups, schools, city council, the Mayor, the police and fire departments. For more information please contact Deb Wild at
[email protected]. Thanks!
What This Waltham-based event will have two key milestones (for starters): 1. An awareness building event Friday March 24, 2017 7 PM at First Parish in Waltham as part of the “Waltham Connect” series. The Waltham Connect team is well organized and capable of hosting the event which will be free and open to the public. The gas leaks presentation is powerful, created by Mothers Out Front. It provides a foundation of information about why fracked gas leaks are such a huge problem for our environment and our pocket books. 2. Tagging of most of the 100+ gas leaks in Waltham, Saturday, April 8, 2017. Ideally tagging teams will include students from Brandeis and Bentley, residents, and local government representatives.
Why This initiative is of high local impact. This issue affects our health and our pocket books. Fracked methane leaking out of ancient gas pipes poisons our air. Our city councilors need support from the Waltham community so they be motivated to exert pressure on utility companies to be more accountable for their infrastructure. It is estimated there are 100+ unrepaired gas leaks in Waltham1. Here is a link to the map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1jsDridqK2MhWoRMbseuhFMo2FEY The yellow pins are the unrepaired (current) leaks. Methane leaks account for more climate damage than all the cars in the city and is 84 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over a 20 year period. Gas companies, who supply gas for cooking and heating through old, leaking pipes, are aware of these leaks. They have no incentive to fix them because lost gas is paid for by rate increases to consumers. Residents in the Boston area pay over $90 million dollars a year, enough to heat 200,000 homes, for gas that damages our health and our environment. We need to stop this waste now. An ideal outcome of this initiative: pressure the Waltham City Council to pass a bill blocking all grants to utility company work until they fix what is already here. Several cities (Arlington, Cambridge, Jamaica Plain and more) have completed gas tagging projects. As a result their local leadership are responding positively to their demands that they act now to get the pipes fixed.
Goals
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After tagging on April 8, the organizers will assess success and clarify next steps. It is assumed all partners will benefit from this event which will bring together dozens of people: multicultural, intergenerational groups focused on a local and compelling issue. The Mothers Out Front team hopes this will recruit more moms, grand moms and others to join our community organizing team.
There are 3,500 natural gas leaks in the greater Boston area and over 20,000 statewide!
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This event can help our partners recruit new members and gain more visibility in the community. This is a great opportunity for us to work together on a shared goal and to collaborate with local leadership.
Potential Allies: Key organizers of this event are Mothers Out Front/Waltham: Deb Wild, Amy Gortler, Bethany Dutra, and Lauren Palmer. We plan to recruit allies and co-sponsoring organizations, such as: Waltham Alliance to Create Housing (WATCH). Waltham Energy Action Committee (Amy is a member of WEAC). Shelley Drowns and Brad Faucher: Waltham in Action. City Councilors and Mayor. Discover Waltham/John Nawelski. First Parish in Waltham/ Waltham Connect and Social Action Teams. Katie Dowsett/ Waltham Partnership for Youth/ Brandeis. Healthy Waltham/ Pam Hass. Waltham River Fest. Downtown Waltham Partnership. More to be determined as our outreach plans gel
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