Weymouth reaches host community deal as compressor station clears final legal hurdles

WEYMOUTH — October 29, 2020 — Weymouth officials finalize emergency plan and host community agreement as Fore River compressor station nears operation. Mayor Robert Hedlund and Town Solicitor Joe Callanan told residents in a Development Update broadcast that 23 lawsuits filed over five years — spanning federal courts in Boston and Washington, D.C., and multiple state agencies — delayed the project by three years but could not stop it, with Callanan noting the odds of success are now "much, much, much less" than the 10 percent estimated when the fight began. The host community agreement with Algonquin covers public safety funding, North Weymouth infrastructure, coastal resilience improvements, and seed money for a municipal wireless internet network. A separate tax dispute underscores the financial stakes: the town currently collects $155,000 annually from the site as vacant industrial land, but will collect below $50,000 once the $100 million facility is reclassified as pipeline infrastructure under state law — a gap the administration says could cost Weymouth roughly $28 million over 35 years if not corrected. The plant remained offline pending a federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration review of a shutdown that occurred during final testing.