Newton Man On Hunger Strike Against Weymouth Compressor Site

NEWTON, MA — BU professor, environmental activist and Newton resident Nathan Phillips is heading into Day 5 of a hunger strike. It's part of an effort to call attention to what he - and several other groups and activists - sees as public health and safety violations at the controversial Weymouth Compressor station site.

Phillips released a statement outlining violations at a proposed 7,700-horsepower Weymouth compressor that would allow the energy company Enbridge to connect two existing pipelines and deliver natural gas to New England and Canada. Philips said violations threaten residents of the Fore River Basin and across the commonwealth.

"Improperly-labeled dump trucks have been documented to be loaded with suspected arsenic- and asbestos-laden coal ash, and leaving the site in violation of agreed-upon decontamination procedures. This presents an ongoing, unacceptable risk to public health to residents of the Fore River Basin and along the routes across the Commonwealth, New Hampshire, and possibly Maine," he said.

The compressor station along the Fore River received approval from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management late last year after passing four regulatory hurdles - but not without pushback from activists, residents and officials alike.

People from Braintree to Hingham, and Quincy to Weymouth have vociferously opposed the project, along with groups like Mother's Out Front, Fore River Residents Against Compressor Station and the Sierra Club.

Phillips began his hunger strike at 1 p.m. Wednesday, he said.

Groups against the project have called on Gov. Charlie Baker and the Department of Environmental to reconsider approval given to the project in light of fierce opposition from climate activists. Critics cite say environmental hazards associated with the project will pose a danger for the densely populated community - especially with two schools and 3,100 students located within a mile of the compressor site.

Mother's Out Front and several other groups are working helping Philips achieve three goals: to have all of the dump trucks leaving the site follow decontamination measures, have the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection start comprehensive testing for asbestos in furnace bricks and in the coal ash matrix, across and throughout the vertical profile of the North Parcel; and have the Baker administration commit to installing and operating an air quality monitor in the next two weeks.

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs spokesperson Katie Gronendyke has said the project met all state and federal safety regulations.

Previously on Patch:

• Protest Group: 6 More Arrested At Weymouth Compressor Station
• 9 Arrested In Latest Protest At Weymouth Compressor Station...

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).