Boston has some of the oldest gas infrastructure in the country. These gas pipes are prone to leak methane into soil and air. In addition to being harmful for people and the environment, the methane from these leaks leaches into soil along the streets, displacing oxygen and suffocating trees at their roots, causing trees to become sick and die.
On Tuesday, August 13, Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) sent National Grid a notice of intent to sue for continued gas leaks. A street survey undertaken by CLF found National Grid pipelines leaking high levels of methane, exacerbating climate change, killing trees, and leading to explosion hazards.
As part of its claim, CLF found more than 200 trees that had died or are dying from methane in the soil. Methane not only displaces oxygen from the soil, but also leads to bacterial growth that reduces oxygen levels in soil. Methane levels from leaks were found to be dangerously high in Chelsea and the Boston neighborhoods of Chinatown, Dorchester, East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury, South End, and along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Back Bay.
Read more at CLF’s press release and at their full notice letter. | 
