That the City Manager confer with Eversource and the appropriate City departments to undertake a series of studies and analyses related to finance, health and safety, building design, and long-term electricity needs before the construction of a substation in East Cambridge

City of Cambridge O-3 ORIGINAL ORDER IN CITY COUNCIL February 4, 2019 COUNCILLOR MALLON MAYOR MCGOVERN COUNCILLOR TOOMEY COUNCILLOR SIDDIQUI WHEREAS: In 2018, Eversource purchased a plot of land in East Cambridge adjacent to Alexandria Real Estate’s proposed Metropolitan Pipe site, as well as the Linden Park neighborhood, and the Kennedy Longfellow Elementary School; and WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has a goal to encourage distributed district energy generation and transition away from fossil fuel-based energy to renewable energy sources; and WHEREAS: Public utility companies are not subject to municipal zoning regulations; however, it is still vital to ensure that the proper health and environmental impact studies have been conducted by the public utility company; now therefore be it

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with Eversource and the appropriate City departments to ensure that Eversource has undertaken the following analyses and impact reports before moving forward with the construction of their substation: • A financial disclosure and analysis of how the cost of the site in East Cambridge and construction of the substation will potentially impact costs for ratepayers, who have already faced increases this winter, particularly since the site alone, without construction factored in, cost Eversource $13 million • A study demonstrating why this substation is required and how it affects the City’s goals of moving towards alternative energy sources, such as renewables • An environmental impact study of the health and safety impacts of locating a large substation adjacent to a residential neighborhood and elementary school • Renderings that show building and site design, and indicate the substation’s footprint, height, and other critical design features; • Long term electricity demand projections for the City of Cambridge including, if available, the predicted need to expand or add other substations in Cambridge in addition to the planned substation at Fulkerson Street to satisfy anticipated future need for electricity; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to make the results of these analyses and impact reports widely available to the public with an emphasis on the direct abutters of the site; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Community Development Department and the Department of Public Works to report on how the construction of this substation will impact the City’s move towards renewable energy; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter as soon as possible.