Shared Action Plan

In 2016, Massachusetts passed a law requiring that gas utilities fix leaks of significant environmental impact (SEIs). The following year, HEET coordinated a large study—in collaboration with the three biggest gas utilities and local environmental advocates—to devise a reliable, accurate method of identifying these leaks, which the utilities agreed to adopt at a summit held at MIT in 2017.
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The ‘Common Ground, Uncommon Partners’ summit brought together over 300 people, including environmental advocacy groups, the gas utilities, union leaders, academics, activists, legislators, and then Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. It was a pivotal moment, one that cemented HEET’s role in leading with science, innovation, and most importantly, ground-breaking and inclusive collaboration. Videos from the event are featured below, along with our Shared Action Plan reports.

These Shared Action Plan technical reports are the result of a program that HEET, Eversource, and National Grid then devised to provide independent verification of utility SEI measurements and repairs and analyze results. These Shared Action Plan technical reports are a feedback mechanism between HEET and the gas utilities on the annual progress of this first-in-the-nation program, which is designed to significantly cut methane emissions from the gas distribution system. They are intended as a continuous improvement mechanism and not as a summary of impact. In 2024 we will be publishing the first public-facing report on the success and impact of the entire program.

Common Goals,
Uncommon Partners

Seeking Solutions for Methane Emissions, MIT 2017

Welcome

“We’re here because we want to do something about gas leaks, especially the big gas leaks. Can we find these gas leaks? Can we get these gas leaks fixed? We come together today with a unique opportunity to make that happen.”

‍— Jason Taylor, HEET Board Member

Speakers

Moderated by Leith Sharp, Director of Harvard’s Center for Heath and the Global Environment
Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, Associate Minister for Ecological Justice, Bethel AME Church
Jessica Garrett, Mothers Out Front

Context: History, Problem, and Search for Solutions

“From one initial meeting came other meetings, and other conversations, with more and more people—both the utilities and environmental groups, together talking. And from that we found shared goals and shared values. And that is what gave birth to this coalition and this study.”

‍— Audrey Schulman, HEET Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director

Speakers

Steven Bryant, Columbia Gas & Audrey Schulman, HEET
Representative Lori Ehrlich
Dr. Margaret Cherne-Hendrick
William Akley, Eversource & Zeyneb Magavi, Mothers Out Front

The Study: Purpose and Process

“We decided right in the first minute that actually we did all want the same thing, believe it or not, and we were looking for a tangible benefit for our customers and indeed the environment.”

‍— Marcy Reed, then Chief of Business Operations for National Grid

Speakers

Marcy Reed, National Grid & Debbie New, Mothers Out Front
Audrey Schulman, HEET

Panel: Implementation and Impacts

“It is very humbling to see how much effort and passion, and compassion, has gone into bringing this community of people together.”

—Jason Jay, Director of the Sustainability Initiative at MIT’s Sloan School of Management

Speakers

Moderator: Jason Jay, MIT Sloan School, Sustainability Initiative
Zeyneb Magavi
Panel of Dan Cote, NiSource; John Stavrakas, National Grid; Kevin Kelly, Eversource

Closing

“Particularly in this time, the very idea that so many diverse stakeholders came together to work on solutions and find common ground is really a model for so much of what we need to see happen across this country on so many fronts.”

‍—Maura Healey, then Attorney General of Massachusetts

Speakers