Weymouth Gas Compressor Allowed To Operate After Resolving Shutdown Issues
WEYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — A natural gas compressor station in Massachusetts has been given the go ahead to start operating after a federal agency determined that issues that caused two emergency shutdowns have been resolved.
A spokesman for Enbridge, the company behind the compressor station in Weymouth, said in light of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's green light Wednesday, operations are expected to start in early December.
"The thorough review process has allowed us to identify and address the issues which led to the unplanned events, and verify that the Weymouth Compressor Station is fully prepared to safely enter service," Max Bergeron said in an emailed statement to The Patriot Ledger.
Opponents have for years fought the station, saying it is an environmental hazard.
The two emergency shutdowns during testing in the fall resulted in hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of natural gas being vented into the surrounding area.
The controversial compressor station is part of Enbridge's Atlantic Bridge project, which would expand the company's natural gas pipelines from New Jersey into Canada.
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