Boston’s Act to Modernize its Natural Gas Infrastructure and Reduce Gas Leaks

WRITTEN BY: SAM HESS

On January 1st, 2020 the city of Boston, Massachusetts’ Act to Modernize its Natural Gas Infrastructure and Reduce Gas Leaks went into effect. This would affect many natural gas distribution companies, the city itself, those that inhabit it, and more.

Natural gas is a nonrenewable energy source formed “deep within the Earth’s surface” (U.S Energy Information Administration, 2020). It is made up of several different compounds, the most prominent of which are methane, carbon, and hydrogen. It was formed millions of years ago as plants and animals died on the ocean floor and Earth’s surface. These remains mixed with silt, sand, and calcium carbonate. Immense heat and pressure from underneath the Earth’s surface changed the “carbon and hydrogen-rich material” into different products, one of which was natural gas (U.S Energy Information Administration, 2020).

There are many different uses of natural gasses. The most prominent of which is to generate electricity, as it accounts for over 25% of the United States source of electricity (The Natural Gas Solution, 2017). It is also used for heating homes and water, and fueling cooking, with more than half of U.S. homes today being heated with natural gas. It is also used, with growing popularity, to power cars and other forms of transportation. Compared to its fossil fuel counterpart, it “reduces harmful emissions released into the air, which decreases smog pollution” (The Natural Gas Solution, 2017). Another use of natural gas is manufacturing. Several different industries such as the paper and steel industries utilize natural gas in their production lines as they use the gas to “generate process steam for industrial application” (The Natural Gas Solution, 2017).

Even though the burning of natural gas is less harmful for the environment than the burning of fossil fuels, it still has its setbacks. Burning natural gas releases methane, a greenhouse gas that is a main contributor to increased atmospheric temperatures and degrades air quality. Additionally, it releases carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, all of which can increase the risk of respiratory infections and can be harmful to the growth and health of vegetation (MET Group, n.d.). Natural gas kills trees through natural gas poisoning which is similar to suffocating the tree, limiting its access to oxygen. On an economic note, leaks of natural gas in the United States contribute to $3 billion of lost and “unaccounted for natural gas each year” (Boston University, 2012). According to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, nationally, natural gas pipeline failures lead to 17 deaths, 68 injuries, and $133 million in property damage on average each year.

Boston has had a long history of struggling with natural gas. According to researchers at Boston University and Duke university, the city has experienced over 3,000 leaks largely due to its “aging natural-gas pipeline system” (Boston University, 2012). While surveying the city, researchers reported that they came across six places within the city in which natural gas concentrations “exceeded the threshold above which explosions [could] occur” (Boston University, 2012). This then led to the levels of methane in the air above Boston’s roads and sidewalks exceeding fifteen times the normal level in the atmosphere (Boston University, 2012).

This new act, written by Boston’s legislators Edward F. Coppinger and James M. Murphy is intended to fix this growing problem of natural gas leaks and to modernize their infrastructure. The act essentially gives this Boston department the authority to fine “gas distribution companies for Grade 3 leaks” (The 192nd General Court of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, n.d.). Grade 3 leaks are natural gas leaks that are of significant environmental impact. Gas distribution companies will additionally have to pay an annual fine for any leaks reported to the department of Grade 3. The fines then collected from these companies will be used by the department to “enhance its operations” and implemented in communities to reduce exposure to leaks (The 192nd General Court of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, n.d.). Several companies will be affected by this act, such as National Gas, Unitil, Eversource Gas Company of Massachusetts, and more (Mass.gov., n.d.).

This act is intended to address the issue of Boston's aging natural gas infrastructure and reduce the effects on the environment and the people living in the city. Other cities with a similar struggling natural gas infrastructure are also at risk of such dangers and with this somewhat recent act on the part of Boston officials addressing the issue, we can hope that other cities will follow suit, and improve their natural gas systems. Reducing the leakage of natural gas is incredibly important for the health and safety of humans, plants, and animals in any urban area and this act hopefully will inspire especially larger, urban areas to do the same.

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