Rapid Response Action Call: Protect Public Safety and USW Jobs in Massachusetts: Tell Your State Senator to Oppose Changes to Gas Meter Replacement Protocol

Click here to download this Action Call as a PDF.

The Massachusetts Senate will soon be considering energy legislation which we are concerned may weaken important gas safety inspections by ending the requirement that gas meters be replaced every seven years. We are asking the Massachusetts State Senators to oppose this language if it is brought up for consideration in the Senate.

Meter replacements are one of the main ways trained gas workers identify dangerous conditions in homes and businesses before tragedy happens. During these inspections, utility workers routinely find:

• Gas leaks
• Carbon monoxide hazards
• Faulty gas appliance safety controls
• Fire risks caused by unsafe piping

If inspections happen less often, dangerous conditions are more likely to go undetected – putting gas workers, customers, and communities at greater risk.

These changes would also reduce utility staffing and threaten hundreds of union jobs, weakening emergency response capacity across Massachusetts.

We need USW members to speak up. We need to ensure that language eliminating this critical public safety provision is not included in the final Senate energy bill. Tell your State Senator to stand up for public safety, protect critical gas safety inspections, and protect the workers who help keep Massachusetts communities safe by opposing these fundamental changes.

Urge Your Massachusetts State Senators to Oppose Changes to Gas Meter Replacement Protocol

Click here to send a pre-written email to your Massachusetts State Senators today!

For more information on this issue or how you can get more involved with Rapid Response, please contact District 4 Rapid Response Coordinator, Mark McDonald, at [email protected]