Stand Up to Protect Rehoboth

My family has lived in Rehoboth since 1997 and just like so many others who’ve moved into town from surrounding communities, we enjoy the country and rural feel combined with the convenience of being close by to shopping, commuter rail and major highways. As with all of you, our lives are busy with daily schedules that include work, school, sports, family, friends and the like. As we’ve driven around town over the past few months, we’ve noticed the signs warning against the building of a natural gas compressor station, but hadn’t paid much attention to it. But then I read these questions on the Rehoboth Reporter web site and that changed.

Spectra Story
For those of you reading this and thinking that we’re just another family who doesn’t want anything “in their backyard”, this compressor station location is in fact several miles from my home. This conversation is about Rehoboth as a town, not about a small neighborhood or area. Is this really the kind of business we’re looking to attract? These stations are loud and dangerous with potentially toxic fumes; they generate extreme high pressure that moves the gas along the pipeline. See for yourself...go to youtube and search “natural gas compressor shutdown” and wonder like I do what’s exiting those exhaust pipes. I fully understand that this infrastructure is necessary and don’t quarrel with the need to build it and continue to meet the demand to produce energy. However, Rehoboth is not the place to build it. The location (off Tremont St, less than a mile from the Seekonk line) proposed is less than 5 miles from several schools, soccer fields, a recreational park within Rehoboth, Seekonk, Attleboro and even Pawtucket. I find it impossible to believe that this company cannot find a more rural, less impactful location in SE Ma. (go to the above link to find out the name of the energy company building and benefiting from the project).
I urge you to explore this proposed compressor station as the town DOES NOT get to vote on it. So if we wish to stop this, we need to take action now. They are looking to begin the construction in early 2017 and be up and operational in late 2018. Other communities have stopped and it and now it’s our turn to take some time out of our busy lives and make a difference.

Lastly, as with any such proposed project in our town, there is a political consideration. The Rehoboth Board of Selectmen “have no position” on this project and so are doing nothing to stop it. It’s up to us as citizens, with nothing to gain, but much to lose (property values; public safety and health, including the potential contamination of our well water supplies) to prevent even a single shovel from going into the ground. We owe it to our children and their children to get involved and stand up for this great place to live so it remains so. Please go to this web site to find out more and take the time to attend the meetings and information sessions. While this letter won’t be published in time, the company is sending a representative to answer pre-submitted questions at the September 26th BOS meeting at the Senior Center.

norehobothcompressor.com

David P. Gouveia