Boston PIC Continues Fenway Steam Dispute, Approves Four Street Projects

BOSTON -- November 2, 2023, Boston's Public Improvement Commission continued a months-long dispute between Vicinity Energy and National Grid over a Fenway steam line while approving four other street projects Thursday. The commission voted unanimously to continue the Energy Boston Inc. granted-location petition for a 700-foot steam main extension on Brookline Avenue after National Grid representative Tim told commissioners his company could not endorse the plan without a signed agreement, citing an internal policy requiring 18 feet of separation from plastic gas mains. Vicinity's John Gibson countered that the 18-foot standard has no regulatory basis and that National Grid's own staff could not explain the origin of the number. The chair declined a Vicinity request for contingent approval, saying the placement dispute goes to the core of what the commission must resolve. In separate unanimous votes, the commission approved Public Garden crossing upgrades covering Arlington, Charles, Beacon, Commonwealth Avenue, and Marlboro streets; Pleasant Street pedestrian safety improvements in Dorchester including a raised crosswalk at Edwards Elementary School; MBTA accessibility work at Chiswick Road and Sutherland Road Green Line stations in Brighton under a federal December 31 deadline; and a Verizon New England conduit installation along Chestnut Hill Avenue in Brighton.