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Lawmakers hear municipal pleas for advance notice of gas pipe work and a tactical path off gas
Summary
Municipal leaders, climate advocates and technical experts urged the TUE committee to pass bills requiring multi‑year gas pipe replacement plans for towns (H3564) and a tactical transition law (S2249/H3539) setting joint gas‑electric planning, limiting cost recovery for new gas expansion and creating an advisory council.
Municipal officials, advocates and energy‑system experts told the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy that state action is needed to coordinate gas‑infrastructure work and to avoid ratepayer costs from unnecessary pipeline rebuilds.
Lisa Olney, chair of Wellesley’s Climate Action Committee, described a $3.5 million road project that had to be pulled from the town warrant twice because National Grid announced unplanned main replacement work. "Our cities and towns need this information to plan road work and explore non‑pipe alternatives," Olney said in support of H3564, which would require gas companies to provide four years of project plans to affected municipalities, allow towns four…
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