City councilors charged Wednesday that there were too few safeguards to protect the transportation of dangerous materials to the newly approved Level 4 Biosafety laboratory, which received final approval last week to be built in Roxbury, and suggested the city must move quickly to protect its citizens.
“Transport of these pathogens will happen in the streets of Boston in unprotected vehicles,” Arroyo said, referring to the strains of deadly bacteria and viruses that will need to be delivered to the Level 4 biolab.
At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, councilors rallied around Councilor-at-Large Stephen Murphy’s call for an ordinance to regulate hazardous materials transport.
“We’re still in the post-9/11 era and still concerned about terrorist attacks,” Murphy said of this important safety issue. “One particularly vulnerable place is our railroads.”
The council also cited Liquid Natural Gas as another hazardous material that needs to be regulated.
Dispute over the transporting LNG has been ongoing with opponents saying facilities are terrorist targets and supporters saying LNG is a safe and viable form of energy.
City Councilors Paul Scapicchio (East Boston, Charlestown) and Charles Yancey (Dorchester, Mattapan) brought up concerns about LNG tankers that regularly pass through Boston Harbor.
Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Mayor Thomas Menino has firmly opposed the presence of LNG tankers in Boston Harbor, though the city has little jurisdiction over tanker activity. In 2003, Menino demanded the ban of giant tankers in the harbor, saying that federal and industry officials were playing “Russian roulette” with the city’s safety.
Yancey said he was pleased with the “Menino administration for the position they’ve taken on the tankers.”
Congress has not legislated regulations for public safety regarding hazardous materials transport, Murphy said.
But San Francisco and Chicago have established laws regulating the transportation of these materials since Sept. 2001, and Murphy said Boston must follow suit.
Murphy added that the Department of Homeland Security, Amtrak and Boston need to collaborate to address public safety concerns.
City councilors also discussed their efforts to find alternative energy sources, which would lower energy costs.
“We can no longer say that fuel costs are going to go down,” said Councilor Maureen Feeney (Harbor Islands, Dorchester), whose council district includes the site of Boston’s first wind turbine.
Although LNG offers an important energy source to the region, some argue that the
presence of tankers poses a threat to communities.
U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) said in an interview with The Boston Globe, “As always, we must require that any new offshore LNG facility be constructed safely, away from densely populated areas, and with the utmost respect for our environment.”
Addressing other matters, Scapicchio suggested the construction of a monument to commemorate the Boston Marathon.
The marathon, which is the oldest in the country, brings millions of dollars to non-for-profits and to the city and is a part of the city’s identity, Scapicchio said.
“Marathon Day is a great day to be in Boston as long as you’re not running,” Scapicchio said.
