Phil McKenna, Inside Climate News
Summary
Nearly 9,000 households in eastern Massachusetts have had to make do without natural gas since mid-September, when an aging natural gas pipeline failed and set off a series of explosions and fires across the cities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover.
Residents who relied on gas to heat their homes and cook their food won't have service again until mid-November at the earliest, according to Columbia Gas of Massachusetts. The company has 48 miles of pipeline to replace, and industry experts question whether it can meet even that timeline.
Environmental advocates say it's time to completely rethink the communities' energy systems.
They are calling for a "green new deal" that would shift thousands of homes off natural gas and onto electric heating.
Columbia Gas has offered to reimburse "reasonable costs" for residents who lost gas service and want to permanently shift to another heating source. Some area residents, rocked by damage to dozens of homes and the death of one person from the gas explosions, have expressed concerns about ever returning to natural gas.
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#Massachusetts#UnitedStates#NorthAmerica#News#NaturalGas#DistrictHeating#ElectricUtility#Residential