{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-markey-leads-group-of-federal-massachusetts-state-lawmakers-in-call-to-postpone-public-hearings-on-east-boston-electrical-substation-re-evaluate-need-for-project", "Senator Markey Leads Group of Federal, Massachusetts State Lawmakers in Call to Postpone Public Hearings on East Boston Electrical Substation, Re-evaluate Need for ProjectRead More", "2020-12-07", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Edward Markey", "M000133", "www.markey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "In\r\ntheir letter, the lawmakers raise concerns over scheduling meeting during\r\npandemic, language and technology accessibility for impacted community  State\r\nhas designated almost every part of East Boston as anEnvironmental\r\nJustice population  Boston (December 7, 2020)\r\n Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today led members of the Massachusetts\r\nCongressional delegation, state legislature, and Boston City Council in urging\r\nthe Massachusetts State Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) to postpone the\r\npublic meeting about the proposed Eversource electrical substation in East\r\nBoston  one of the most racially and ethnically diverse communities in\r\nMassachusetts  until the pandemic is over and to re-open the determination of\r\nneed for the project. In their letter, the Massachusetts lawmakers highlight\r\nthat the proposed site of the new substation, on the banks of Chelsea Creek, is\r\nalready an area of industry overuse. They also note that with more than 14\r\npercent of East Boston's tested residents testing\r\npositive for the virus, it is unfair to ask them to engage on a highly\r\ntechnical project when the area is suffering from one of the highest rates of\r\nCOVID-19 in the state. Additionally, in response to community and advocate\r\nconcerns about the EFSB's inadequate language access, the lawmakers urge the\r\nEFSB to address and resolve any open complaints regarding translation services\r\nbefore public hearings are held.  Also signing the letter\r\nare: Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.); U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley\r\n(MA-07), Katherine Clark (MA-05), and Joseph P. Kennedy III (MA-04);\r\nMassachusetts State Senators Joseph A. Boncore (1st Suffolk and Middlesex), Sal\r\nN. DiDomenico (Middlesex and Suffolk), and Jamie Eldridge (Middlesex and\r\nWorcester); Massachusetts State Representatives Adrian C. Madaro (1st Suffolk),\r\nDaniel J. Ryan (2nd Suffolk), Liz Miranda (5th Suffolk), and Michelle DuBois\r\n(10th Plymouth); and Boston City Councilors Lydia Edwards (District 1), Julia\r\nMejia (At-Large), Michelle Wu (At-Large), and Annissa Essaibi-George (At-Large).\r\n  If approved, the\r\nEversource electrical substation would have decades-long effects on an\r\nextremely vulnerable and disproportionately impacted population,\r\nwrite the lawmakers in their letter to EFSB Chairman Kathleen Theoharides. Residents\r\nin and around this congested area must be given the opportunity for meaningful\r\ninvolvement, which the currently scheduled meetings do not provide. For far too\r\nlong, black, brown, and immigrant communities have been excluded from the\r\ndecision-making processes that directly affect their quality of life. We must\r\naddress the inequities that intersect race, class, and public health, and that\r\nbegins with ensuring that the residents of East Boston have a full say in the\r\nevolution of their neighborhood. A copy of the letter can\r\nbe foundHERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-markey-leads-group-of-federal-massachusetts-state-lawmakers-in-call-to-postpone-public-hearings-on-east-boston-electrical-substation-re-evaluate-need-for-project"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8330971468240023, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}