The Nature Conservation Act The foundation told National Grid on Tuesday that it and several other environmental groups intend to sue the utility for failing to promptly fix methane gas leaks that are killing trees and posing a risk of fires and explosions.
In the letter to National Grid’s top officials, the foundation accused the company of improperly disposing of “hazardous waste” and violating federal pipeline regulations and state environmental laws. The foundation is demanding fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars a day and a requirement to fix leaks much more quickly or reduce the use of natural gas altogether.
The Conservation Law Foundation said its lawsuit was based on data National Grid submitted to state regulators as well as the foundation’s own field tests measuring methane levels in the Boston area.
In July, the foundation said it identified 15 locations over a seven-day period where methane gas concentrations posed a fire or explosion risk. The highest concentrations were found at a building foundation at 1562 Dorchester Avenue in Dorchester (40 percent), a shaft at 4109 Washington Street in Roxbury (20 percent) and at the foundation of the Liberty Mutual Tower at 157 Boylston Street in the Back Bay.
Other sites of concern, according to the foundation, included a shaft at the intersection of Adams and Whitten Streets in Dorchester (11 percent), the foundation at 39 Heard Street in Chelsea (9 percent) and a shaft at 1916 Dorchester Avenue near Ashmont Station in Dorchester (6 percent).
CLF found over 200 public shade trees that had died or were suffering from methane poisoning from leaking gas pipelines.
According to the CLF letter, a Level 1 methane gas leak is one that “poses an existing or probable danger to persons or property.” If such a leak occurs, National Grid must “immediately begin repairs and continue actions until conditions are no longer hazardous, the source of the leak is eliminated, and permanent repairs are completed.”
The foundation said National Grid has failed to meet this standard 879 times in Boston and Chelsea since 2019.
The foundation also identified 290 cases in which National Grid failed to repair second-degree methane leaks in a timely manner and 59 cases in which third-degree leaks were not repaired within the limits set by state law.
“National Grid’s leak data shows that Level 1 dangerous leaks persist for more than 2 ½ years. To the best of our knowledge and belief, further investigation will reveal additional Level 1 dangerous leaks where National Grid did not immediately begin repairs and ongoing actions until these leaks are eliminated,” CLF said.
National Grid, the operator of Boston Gas, declined to comment.
CLF is joined in the lawsuit by four other advocacy groups – GreenRoots, Boston Parks Advocates, Mothers Out Front and Affected Citizens.
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