Because of the environmental and health risks associated with fracking, the process is controversial.) A map of the Atlantic Bridge Project. The technique has been around for decades but took off in the U.S. It involves drilling deep into the earth and injecting a high-pressure liquid - usually water, sand and other chemicals - into bedrock to force the gas out through fissures or other openings. (“Fracking,” or hydraulic fracturing, is a technique for extracting natural gas. The purpose of the project is to make it easier for “fracked” natural gas from the Marcellus Shale of western Pennsylvania to get to northern New England and Canada, and it does this by connecting two existing pipeline systems: the Algonquin Gas Transmission, which flows from New Jersey into Massachusetts, and the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, which flows from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia, Canada. The 7,700-horsepower Weymouth compressor is part of a larger gas pipeline plan called the Atlantic Bridge Project. There are five existing compressor stations in Massachusetts - one each in Hopkinton, Mendon, Charlton, Agawam and Southwick - and another 1,700 or so across the country. By compressing the gas, these facilities “boost” pressure in the pipeline and help move the gas long distances. As gas flows through a pipe, friction and turbulence naturally slow it down. So once again, whether you've been reading about the issue for years and have questions, or are just hearing about the project for the first time, here's what you need to know:Ĭompressor stations are a critical part of natural gas pipelines systems. WBUR published an explainer about the compressor station in June 2019, but given how much has happened since then, we felt it was time for an update. The Weymouth compressor itself is a complicated project that involves multiple state and federal agencies and private companies - and that’s before you factor in all the litigation and local controversy the facility has generated. Meanwhile, the company building the compressor station cleared every legal and regulatory hurdle in its way, and construction has moved forward. They’ve waged public awareness campaigns, challenged the project’s environmental permits in court, and even resorted to civil disobedience. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR) This article is more than 2 years old.įor the last five years, a coalition of South Shore towns, politicians and local activists have tried to block the construction of a natural gas compressor station in North Weymouth. PT: Adds comment from Juniper Research.The Weymouth gas compressor station by the Fore River photographed on Sept. Our research shows that with increasing smartphone adoption by countries with emissions-intensive electricity grids, vendors must design phones to reduce both supply chain and user emissions if they are to counteract this increase in greenhouse gas emissions." "Vendor-specific emissions account for just 5 percent of the lifecycle emissions of a smartphone, whereas 86 percent comes from other pre-consumer sources. "Mobile device manufacturers have improved their own facilities' environmental impacts to a great degree over the past few years, but they will have a huge impact if they consider sustainability at the design stage," Juniper Research told CNET. Additionally, app makers could work to make their products more energy efficient to prolong phone battery life. Companies could also pressure energy suppliers to use more renewable energy, rather than coal and oil. While Juniper Research is predicting 13 megatons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2019, smartphone makers could reduce that number by working to make their products greener and more energy efficient. Almost half of those 2019 greenhouse gases will come from coal-fired electricity grids that are mostly used in Asia, according to Juniper Research. Those 13 megatons are equivalent to the current annual emissions of 1.1 million cars. By 2019, Juniper Research predicts, that amount will be more than 13 megatons.
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