August 7, 2025
Contact
Naia Tenerowicz
Springfield Climate Justice Coalition
303-906-3848,
Teniel Rhiney
Springfield Climate Justice Coalition
Climate Action Now Western Mass
(413-306-0604),
Vick Mohanka
Sierra Club Massachusetts
(508-451-4188),
Susan Sommer
Mothers Out Front
617-642-5490
SPRINGFIELD, Ma. — On Thursday evening, dozens of local residents, organizers and advocacy groups rallied at Stearns Square to call out the mounting health, climate and economic costs of Eversource’s proposed $65 million methane gas pipeline from Longmeadow to Springfield. The demonstration took place just ahead of Eversource’s public listening session and highlighted widespread community opposition to unnecessary fossil fuel infrastructure that threatens public health and deepens energy burdens.
“We’re not just fighting a pipeline, we’re fighting for our right to breathe clean air and live without fear of another toxic, dangerous burden in our community,” said Naia Tenerowicz, an organizer at the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition. “This pipeline would only deepen environmental injustices that Springfield families have faced for decades.”
The proposed pipeline fails to increase reliability or improve safety while allowing the utility to boost its profits, earning a guaranteed 9.67% return on this costly, soon-to-be-stranded fossil fuel asset, well above industry standards. The project, which had already ballooned to more than $65 million by 2022, would further overburden Massachusetts residents already grappling with 20% annual increases in gas delivery charges and unchecked rate hikes tied to utility spending.
“This is an additional expense that communities don’t want or need. We should be spending money on projects that improve communities' health and wellbeing, not lock us into decades of expensive, dangerous energy,” said Priya Gandbhir, Director of Clean Power at Conservation Law Foundation.
Advocates are instead calling for cleaner, more cost-effective solutions such as upgrading Springfield homes and businesses to electric heat pumps, an approach that reduces emissions, protects health and lowers costs. In July, the Department of Public Utilities approved a “1.0” electric heat pump rate projected to save households $540 on average each winter, with even greater savings for residents switching from delivered fuels or electric resistance. A second phase of rates under development could help 82% of households cut heating costs by upgrading to high-efficiency heat pumps.
“We’ve reached the point where clean energy is not just better for the planet, it’s the cheaper, safer option for families,” said Susan Sommer, a leader at Mothers Out Front. “There is no good reason to move forward with this pipeline when better solutions are already here.”
The pipeline route passes through Springfield’s residential neighborhoods, which are designated as environmental justice communities and near local schools. Already, Springfield ranks fourth in the nation for asthma. Methane leaks and venting from gas infrastructure like the Bliss Street Station can worsen local air quality, exacerbate respiratory issues and contribute to dangerous ozone levels. Methane’s climate impact is also dire: recent research shows that leaks have the same near-term warming impact as burning coal.
“The Commonwealth can’t claim climate leadership and still allow gas companies to overbuild their pipeline systems,” said Cathy Kristofferson, a co-founder at Pipe Line Awareness Network for the Northeast. “This project, first proposed by Columbia Gas in 2017 and now revived again by Eversource, its time has passed. It is a climate backslide at a time when we must be accelerating toward our clean energy future.”
Advocates are urging lawmakers to pass H.3547 / S.2290, a bill that would protect environmental justice communities by prohibiting large-scale gas infrastructure expansion near overburdened neighborhoods, while ensuring utilities make impacted workers whole.
“People in Gateway Cities like Springfield are exactly who this bill is meant to protect,” said Vick Mohanka, Director of the Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter. “State leaders like Governor Healey and Speaker Mariano need to say no to toxic pipelines and yes to solutions that put people, not profits, first.”
From a giant asthma inhaler prop to street theater performances, the rally made one thing clear: communities like Springfield are done paying the price, on their bills and with their health, for utility profits.
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