The fight between Boston and the Algonquin Gas Transmission LLC, in which Spectra Energy wants to put a natural gas pipeline through a residential area in West Roxbury is headed to court on September 8th.
The proposed pipeline is proposed to go right near the active West Roxbury Crushed Stone Quarry.
On September 1st, Spectra filed an injunction in federal court requesting they be given immediate access to Washington, Grove, and Centre streets in West Roxbury in order to begin construction of the West Roxbury pipeline and its metering and regulating station. On Wednesday, Boston filed its response, asking the court to deny Spectra’s motion for this injunction saying Spectra has failed to satisfy any of the requirements for such a release. Thus a hearing date has been set for Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 10 am, in the District Court, Courtroom 18, in the Federal Courthouse in the Seaport, according to a West Roxbury Saves Energy press release.
“We have been told that the City believes Spectra wishes to force them to negotiate a price for the rights of way. (You may recall that just prior to filing the eminent domain suit, Spectra offered Boston $600,000 for easements and threatened to take the rights of way by eminent domain if Boston did not take the money.),” wrote Rickie Harvey, chair of West Roxbury Saves Energy. “We have been assured that the City has no interest in taking Spectra’s money; the only point on which the City will negotiate with Spectra is in regard to the location of the WRL. If Spectra wishes to negotiate, the City will ask that the WRL be relocated away from the quarry and out of any residential neighborhood.”
