Stories from the Frontlines

It’s the last episode of this season of Stories from the Frontlines!

After talking about seven local energy fights across the Northeast, we’re bringing all the pieces together to discuss the energy grid as a whole. What exactly is ISO-NE, how is it keeping us hooked on fossil fuels, and what does a better energy future look like? Alice Arena (Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station), John Walkey (GreenRoots), and Monte Pearson (350 Massachusetts) share their personal experiences and their energy expertise.

Stories from the Frontlines will be taking a break for a little while, but next season we’ll be back with stories about waste issues in the Northeast!

Learn more about the regional Fix the Grid campaign at https://fixtheisogrid.wordpress.com/.

Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station:

Check out FRRACS’ website at https://www.nocompressor.com/. You can also find the group on Facebook (Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station) and on Twitter (@FRRACS_MA).

You can contact Alice and FRRACS by sending an email to [email protected].

GreenRoots:

You can support the campaign by checking out GreenRoots’ website (http://www.greenrootschelsea.org/), and finding the group on Facebook (GreenRootsChelsea) or Twitter (@GreenRootsEJ). You can sign up for the mailing list at http://www.greenrootschelsea.org/signup and join the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/132951814006894/. Check out #NoEastieSubstation and #Neversource on Twitter for relevant content.

350 Massachusetts:

Check out 350 Mass on their website at https://350mass.betterfutureproject.org/, on Facebook (350 Mass for a Better Future), on Twitter (@350Mass), or on Instagram (@350mass).

Learn more about Community Action Works on our website: https://communityactionworks.org/.

We’re also on Facebook (Community Action Works), Twitter (@ComActionWorks), and Instagram (@ComActionWorks).

This week’s episode features Michele Marantz from the Longmeadow Pipeline Awareness Group. She and many others have spent the last several years fighting to stop a new gas metering station in Longmeadow, MA and a new gas pipeline from Longmeadow to Springfield. Tune in to hear Michele talk about working in coalition with other communities, building political power, and understanding the complexities of our gas permitting system.

You can support the campaign by checking out the website (https://www.stopthetoxicpipeline.org/), and finding the involved groups on Facebook (Longmeadow Pipeline Awareness Group; or Springfield Climate Justice Coalition) or Twitter (@LongmeadowG). You can sign the petition here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/ban-construction-of-gas-meter-station-and-high-pressure-pipeline-in-longmeadow-and-springfield

Learn more about Community Action Works on our website: https://communityactionworks.org/.

We’re also on Facebook (Community Action Works), Twitter (@ComActionWorks), and Instagram (@ComActionWorks).

This week on Stories from the Frontlines, we’re sharing the story of John Walkey from GreenRoots, an organization in Chelsea, MA. John has been fighting to stop an electric substation from being built in an overburdened community, in a flood zone, across from a playground...next to giant tanks of jet fuel. Listen to John talk about navigating the overlapping obstacles of technical jargon, language barriers, and a pandemic all while finding the hope to keep building toward a just and healthy world.

(Quick note that this episode was recorded in September, and John is referring to the November 2021 elections. Boston voters overwhelmingly voted “no” on the ballot question regarding building the substation - 83% were opposed).

You can support the campaign by checking out GreenRoots’ website (http://www.greenrootschelsea.org/), and finding the group on Facebook (GreenRootsChelsea) or Twitter (@GreenRootsEJ). You can sign up for the mailing list at http://www.greenrootschelsea.org/signup and join the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/132951814006894/. Check out #NoEastieSubstation and #Neversource on Twitter for relevant content.

Learn more about Community Action Works on our website: https://communityactionworks.org/.

We’re also on Facebook (Community Action Works), Twitter (@ComActionWorks), and Instagram (@ComActionWorks).

Tune in to this episode of Stories from the Frontlines to hear from Mary Fite, a community member in Bow, NH and a member of 350 New Hampshire Action. Mary found out in 2019 that there was a coal plant in the town that she and her family had just moved to in order to escape pollution elsewhere, and she immediately started fighting back. You’ll hear Mary talk about the financial misconceptions around this plant, the importance of holding polluters accountable, and what being an activist means to her.

You can support the campaign by checking out No Coal No Gas’ website (https://www.nocoalnogas.org/), and finding the group on Facebook (No Coal No Gas), Twitter (@NoCoalNoGas), or Instagram (@nocoalinbow for the Bow account; @nocoalnogas for the broader campaign). You can also check out 350 NH’s website (www.350nh.org) or Twitter (@350NH_ACTION).

Learn more about Community Action Works on our website: https://communityactionworks.org/.

We’re also on Facebook (Community Action Works), Twitter (@ComActionWorks), and Instagram (@ComActionWorks).

This episode of Stories from the Frontlines features Susan Smoller from Breathe Clean North Shore. She and her neighbors are fighting a proposed gas power plant in Peabody, MA. Listen to Susan share why she first got involved, how lack of transparency has been a key challenge of the campaign, and why this plant makes no sense given our state’s environmental justice laws and our planet’s climate crisis.

You can support the campaign by checking out Breathe Clean North Shore’s website (www.breathecleannorthshore.org), and finding the group on Facebook (Breathe Clean North Shore) or Twitter (breathe_ns). You can sign the petition against the plant at bit.ly/BCNS-petition.

Learn more about Community Action Works on our website: https://communityactionworks.org/.

We’re also on Facebook (Community Action Works), Twitter (@ComActionWorks), and Instagram (@ComActionWorks).

This week on Stories from the Frontlines, we’re talking to Rosemary Wessel and Jane Winn from the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT). They’re spearheading the Put Peakers in the Past campaign, aiming to shut down polluting fossil fuel power plants that are rarely used anymore.

Listen in to learn about their corporate strategy, the effect these plants have on the community, and their vision for our electric grid’s future.

You can support the campaign by checking out the website: tinyurl.com/EndPeak. Learn more about the No Fracked Gas in Mass project at tinyurl.com/NFGactnow.

Learn more about Community Action Works on our website: https://communityactionworks.org/.

We’re also on Facebook (Community Action Works), Twitter (@ComActionWorks), and Instagram (@ComActionWorks).

Stories from the Frontlines is back this week with Ian McDonald, from No More Dirty Power in Killingly! He and his neighbors are fighting a new power plant in Killingly, CT.

Hear about how this plant got rubber stamped, how it will hurt an already overburdened community, and why Ian and others have stepped up to stop it.

Check out Ian’s group on Facebook (No More Dirty Power in Killingly). Other groups supporting the work include Connecticut Climate Crisis Mobilization, Sierra Club CT, Sunrise CT, 350 CT, and Save the Sound, all also on Facebook.

Learn more about Community Action Works on our website: https://communityactionworks.org/.

We’re also on Facebook (Community Action Works), Twitter (@ComActionWorks), and Instagram (@ComActionWorks)