Massachusetts has been hit by a series of natural gas explosions. The main cause of this disaster is aging and deteriorating infrastructure, natural gas pipelines in this case. Massachusetts (and New York, California, and few other deep blue states) diverted necessary funds from maintaining and upgrading infrastructure to climate change propaganda as well as subsidies to cronies in “renewable energy” and “carbon free” financing. Massachusetts Democrats were so prejudiced against pipelines that the state elected to import LNG from Russia. Some media quotes from February-March 2018:
“Massachusetts’ anti-fossil-fuel policies are the primary reason why the state has relied on natural gas imports from a Russian oil company the Department of State sanctioned during the Obama-era. Officials in Massachusetts and neighboring New Hampshire blocked financing in 2016 for the $3 billion Access Northeast Pipeline … Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey concluded in 2016 that “no new pipelines are needed” and that we “can maintain electric reliability through 2030 even without additional new natural gas pipelines” …”
“Earlier this year, New England — located just a few hundred miles from the Marcellus Shale, one of the world’s largest natural gas fields — was forced to import a cargo of Russian liquefied natural gas. This was necessary because anti-energy activists have convinced local elected leaders to block new energy infrastructure, including pipelines that could bring American gas to the region.”
Russian LNG or Pipelines for New England? Massachusetts AG Picks Russia
“This “Keep It In The Ground” strategy in New England has resulted in a very real energy infrastructure problem, no matter what folks like AG Healey say.”
And even Boston Globe:
“This winter’s unprecedented imports of Russian liquefied natural gas have already come under fire … because the majority shareholder of the firm that extracted the fuel has been sanctioned by the US government for its links to the war in eastern Ukraine and Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.”
Yes, the opposition to the pipelines was spearheaded by foreign groups and partially funded by Russia. The Democrats knowingly used this funding to increase their odds in the 2016 elections, including Hillary attacking Trump for “climate denial.”
The blame will probably be directed at Columbia Gas and its parent NiSource (NI). But they are utility companies, regulated and de facto controlled by state governments. Massachusetts had other priorities than the safety of its citizens and directed Columbia Gas to act in accordance with its real priorities.
Because of the diversion of funds (or the theft) from infrastructure maintenance and disaster preparedness, deep blue states also suffer more damage from natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. Unfortunately, their politicians link this damage not to their incompetence and obscurantism, but to so-called climate change.