Rand Barthel

  • signed Halt New Gas Infrastructure 2018-09-14 14:56:18 -0400
    Homes blowing up from gas infrastructure cannot become the new normal.

    Halt New Gas Infrastructure

    On September 14, the Merrimack Valley faced an unprecedented tragedy - a series of “Armageddon-like” gas explosions that killed a teenager, injured ten others, and ignited fires in about 40 homes displacing many more.

    Climate advocates have been warning about the dangers of natural gas for years, and while this explosion is tragic, it was not unforeseeable. We hereby call for Governor Baker--who has previously pushed for the public to subsidize massive new gas infrastructure expansions--to immediately issue a freeze on all new natural gas construction in the state until after thorough investigations both of what happened in this situation and of the many vulnerabilities in our existing system are completed.

    We also call on Governor Baker to express his immediate and unconditional support for National Grid to end the lock-out of the USW Local 12003 union so that these skilled workers can return to the important task of cleaning up the tens of thousands of existing leaks in our state’s natural gas infrastructure.”

    1,154 signatures

    I demand that Governor Baker halt all new gas infrastructure projects, until:

    1) A thorough investigation into what happened at the tragedy in the Merrimack Valley is completed,

    2) An investigation into the vulnerabilities of the existing gas infrastructure projects is completed.

    I also call on Governor Baker to express his immediate and unconditional support for National Grid to end its lockout of gas workers union USW 12003. 

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  • signed Petition - Don't Do It, Charlie! 2016-01-30 21:53:01 -0500
    The science is saying, more forcefully every year, that we have to phase out most fossil fuel use by 2050 to keep climate change from spiralling out of control. That means these pipelines will have to become rustware long before their design lifetime is over. That means ratepayers’ money is being wasted on these pipelines when it should be spent on the renewable energy and conservation.

    Tell Governor Baker: Don't Bill Us for New Pipelines

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    Tell Governor Baker: Don't Bill Us for New Pipelines

    Sign our petition to tell Governor Baker that you oppose his plan to make electricity customers pay for new gas pipelines!

    1,286 signatures

     Dear Governor Baker:

    Your Department of Public Utilities has moved forward with a proposal to pay for new gas pipelines by adding a charge to our monthly electricity bills. But ratepayers should not be saddled with costs that have always been borne by gas companies in the past.

    PLUS: Attorney General Healey’s recently released study shows that we don’t even need new pipelines! By investing in clean energy and energy efficiency, we can ensure reliability while keeping costs down and meeting the state’s mandated goals for reducing climate pollution.

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Rand Barthel
Rand Barthel
Software engineer, astronomer, science geek, philosopher, birdwatcher, climate activist and general troublemaker
https://twitter.com/randkbarthel
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