POR 2019-34
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
the aforementioned order in the third paragraph by striking out the words “are not” and inserting in place the words “may not be.”The clerk's words, from the minutes of Feb 4, 2019, p. 15.
the order by adding at the end thereof a new bulleted item to read: Renderings that show the planned distribution plan and streets that will be impacted to lay conduitsThe clerk's words, from the minutes of Feb 4, 2019, p. 15.
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Present and voting at this meeting (9)
Alanna Mallon
Craig A. Kelley
Dennis Carlone
E. Denise Simmons
Jan Devereux
Marc McGovern
Quinton Zondervan
Sumbul Siddiqui
Timothy J. Toomey
O-3
ORIGINAL ORDER
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 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 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 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 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 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 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter as soon as possible.