North Weymouth compressor station plan grows again despite local opposition

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http://www.patriotledger.com/article/20150812/NEWS/150818498/0/breaking_ajax

North Weymouth compressor station plan grows again despite local opposition
By Christian Schiavone
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Aug. 12, 2015 at 5:00 PM
Updated at 3:38 AM

WEYMOUTH – A Texas natural gas company is again stepping up plans for pipeline expansion and construction of a compressor station in North Weymouth that have already drawn stiff opposition from neighbors and elected officials who are hoping to block it.

Houston-based Spectra Energy recently notified residents that it’s planning a second pipeline project that would include adding four miles of 30-inch underground pipe in Weymouth and Braintree and expand the compressor station for a second time. Compressor stations use gas-fired turbines to keep the pipeline pressurized and gas flowing.

The new pipes are part of a project called Access Northeast that’s still in its early planning stages. They would tie into the Atlantic Bridge project that includes the 10,900-horsepower compressor station near the foot of the Fore River Bridge and within a half-mile of more than 950 homes in Weymouth and Quincy.

The fate of both projects lies with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a five-member appointed board that decides on interstate pipelines.