NORTHAMPTON — There are 91 natural gas leaks in the city, some that have gone unrepaired for nearly two decades. The time to fix those leaks is now, according to a coalition of local and statewide climate-focused groups.
A public forum will be held at the Unitarian Society at 220 Main St. at 7:30 p.m. Thursday to raise awareness about gas leaks, discuss their environmental and financial impact and organize to fix them, according to Marty Nathan, spokeswoman for the neighborhood group TwoDegreesatGreenNeighbors.Earth.
“Our goal is to increase our own understanding, to help the community become aware and to get the leaks repaired. They should’ve been repaired a long time ago,” Nathan said by telephone Wednesday.
Nathan, who lives on Massasoit Street, is part of a group of environmentally minded neighbors who were startled by data they found online mapping the city’s gas leaks.
“We decided we needed to do what we could to plug the leaks,” Nathan said. “There are three gas leaks right on our block … It was right there in front of us.”
The forum will begin with a presentation by Mothers Out Front organizer Ania Camargo, who has led campaigns to repair gas leaks in the greater Boston area. Following the presentation, attendees will break into town-based discussion groups.
Camargo also will speak at another forum on gas leaks at 5 p.m. Thursday in Springfield hosted by the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition and Arise for Social Justice before coming to Northampton.
The forum in Northampton is organized by a partnership of TwoDegreesatGreenNeighbors.Earth, Climate Action Now, Mothers Out Front, Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence Climate Action Group.
Information about the 91 gas leaks in Northampton comes from Home Energy Efficiency Team, a Cambridge-based nonprofit that uses data submitted by utilities to map leaks across Massachusetts. There were 91 reported gas leaks in the city as of Dec. 31, 2015, the oldest dating back to 1999, according to data taken from an annual report Columbia Gas of Massachusetts filed with the Department of Utilities.
Gas leaks are not an issue specific to Northampton. Home Energy Efficiency Team reported Boston has 1,853 unrepaired leaks, the oldest dating back to 1985.
Nathan pointed to aging infrastructure as a reason for leaks.
“It is an issue in Massachusetts because we’re old. Our pipes are old, they’re made of cast iron and unprotected steel. They leak and nobody fixes them,” Nathan said.
The financial impact of gas leaks is another concern for residents and organizers, Nathan said.
Ratepayers who use natural gas bear the financial burden of unrepaired leaks. A report released by U.S. Sen. Edward Markey in August 2013 said Massachusetts residents paid up to $1.5 billion between 2000 to 2011 for gas lost from leaky pipes.
Officials with the utility insist they are taking the group’s concerns seriously, but stress that none of the leaks pose a public safety hazard.
Columbia Gas of Massachusetts spokeswoman Andrea Luppi told the Gazette in April that the company is pouring significant resources, $80 million a year, into replacing all cast iron and bare steel pipes across its service area.
Leaks are graded on a scale, Luppi explained. She said most leaks in Northampton are Grade 3 and do not pose a risk. She said the company is not required to repair Grade 3 leaks, but it is required to monitor them on a regular basis to make sure they do not worsen.
Organizers are calling for a legislative overhaul to ensure all leaks are repaired.
Andra Rose, Pioneer Valley organizer of the national group Mothers Out Front, said gas companies are only required to fix leaks in enclosed spaces, and organizers hope to change that.
“These leaks are near homes, they’re near schools, playgrounds. They are potentially explosive. The toxic mix of chemicals is unhealthy for our kids … it is seriously endangering our children’s futures,” Rose said.
Mothers Out Front began in Boston three years ago. According to Rose, who lives in Amherst, the group aims to “amplify the voices of people who care about climate change for future generations.”
“Our main goal is to get energy consumers, which we all are, to rise up and say we won’t pay for any new pipelines or fossil fuel infrastructure,” Rose said. “We want clean, healthy infrastructure from now on.”
Rose said the gas leak conversation will not end at the forum Thursday evening. Moving forward, organizers hope to launch city groups and post signs and flags identifying gas leaks across the city.
Residents will be encouraged to contact their state legislators to approve bills requiring gas leak repairs and organizers plan to pressure local communities to pass ordinances requiring gas companies to fix and report all leaks, Rose said.