Fix those Gas Leaks!

Calling on National Grid to fix 261 gas leaks in Town

Sustainable Wellesley members in front of the Wellesley Community Center to draw attention to National Grid’s lack of action.

Last week, Sustainable Wellesley called on National Grid to fix the dozens of persistent gas leaks in Wellesley. 

The leaks emit vast amounts of methane, which is a dangerous and highly potent greenhouse gas that is contributing to global warming. 

Sustainable Wellesley President Quentin Prideaux said, “We first started looking at gas leaks in Wellesley in 2015 when there were 197 leaks reported by National Grid — now there are 261.  The leaks are actually getting worse and we need National Grid to step up to protect our climate, our safety, and our health.”

The Sustainable Wellesley action was part of a larger effort across the Boston metropolitan area led by Mothers Out Front, the Gas Leaks Allies, and other environmental groups frustrated by the lack of progress on gas leaks.  In Boston, more than 100 protesters gathered on Cambridge Street near a 13-year old leak.  Activists are particularly concerned that National Grid has backed away from its previous commitment to identify and repair the largest volume leaks, sometimes called “super-emitters.”  These large volume leaks make up only about 7 percent of the more than 16,000 leaks in the state but they emit roughly 50 percent of the methane.  The other large gas companies — Eversource and Columbia Gas — have already begun using the accepted method for identifying and repairing these leaks, while National Grid has said it will not do so until next year.