National Grid has reached a $5.38 million settlement with state and federal agencies to address environmental damage stemming from the former Gloucester Gas Light Company, which operated from 1854 to 1952. The plant, which converted coal and oil into gas, produced hazardous byproducts like tar, sludge, and oil that contaminated the soil, groundwater, and sediment in Gloucester Harbor. Over time, ownership of the plant transitioned from the North Shore Gas Company to National Grid, which is now responsible for the settlement.
This substantial sum will fund natural resource restoration projects overseen by several trustees, including the U.S. Department of the Interior (through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Carrie Selberg Robinson, NOAA's director for habitat conservation for fisheries, emphasized the significance of this settlement in rectifying the long-standing pollution issues in Gloucester Harbor and restoring the community's natural resources.
