SPRINGFIELD — “What do we want?” an organizer asked through a bull horn, as she marched along E. Columbus Avenue. “Clean air,” came the call back from a crowd of sign holding protesters.

Residents, organizers and activists from Springfield, Longmeadow and around the state gathered at Stearns Square on May 21 to oppose a natural gas pipeline proposed by Eversource, before marching to the Bliss Street Regulator Station, the end point for the pipeline. Organizations and supporters from around Western Massachusetts attended the rally, setting up information tables in the park, while Afro-Puerto Rican musicians, Bomba de Aqui entertained attendees.

David O’Leary, one of the organizers, explained that people’s concerns were three-fold. “There’s the climate conversation, there’s the cost conversation and the safety,” he said. “There’s a lot of opportunity to be switching over to sustainable sources. [Eversource is] spending $60 million, we could be investing it in making our housing stock more energy efficient.”

He added that even if Eversource never runs natural gas through the proposed pipeline, “our rates are going to go up” due to the construction costs. “As we build more solar, the sun doesn’t get more expensive.”

The pipeline is progressing through what O’Leary called “the bureaucratic process” of state oversight and review. He said there are multiple permits needed, including some local permits from the city of Springfield for street work, but noted, “The members of the Department of Public Utility are the real decision-makers.”

O’Leary said the former Gov. Charlie Baker administration was tasked with appointing an Environmental Justice Commission, but “dragged” his feet. O’Leary said that based on statements from Gov. Maura Healey during her campaign and the people she has appointed so far, “we think there is more of a chance” that she will be receptive to the protesters’ concerns. “The Commission really needs to be involved, and they’re back to that,”O’Leary said.

At the municipal level, O’Leary said, “The City Council has already passed a resolution in opposition to this project. [Mayor Dominic Sarno] has been mostly quiet.”

One of Sarno’s opponents in the mayoral race, City Council President Jesse Lederman attended the rally.

“I held the first hearing on this pipeline” as chair of the City Council Sustainability & Environment Subcommittee in 2021, Lederman said. “We heard testimony from Eversource. They made it very clear that this pipeline is redundant.” He said Eversource testified to the subcommittee that the existing pipeline is not in danger of failing. “It doesn’t make sense to me that we invest $60 million on the back of ratepayers and Springfield residents,” Letterman said.

Eversource has stated that the Western Massachusetts Natural Gas Reliability Project will protect residents from heating outages if there is damage to the existing pipeline, which runs through Agawam. Lederman expressed skepticism that a redundant pipeline would act as a failsafe. “There is still a single point of failure at the Bliss Street [Regulator] Station, he said, adding that he strongly supports the repair of the pipelines and gas infrastructure already in Springfield.

O’Leary acknowledged the concerns stated by Eversource, but added, “They are not the only concerns. There are concerns about construction and operation of the pipeline.” He cited the 2012 natural gas explosion in Springfield and the 2018 explosion of a natural gas pipeline in the Merrimack Valley. The Bliss Street regulator station is abutted by the Connecticut River and train tracks. Interstate 91 also runs by the site. All of these make the natural gas infrastructure vulnerable to damage.

Rusty Polsgrove, an environmental justice organizer with Arise Springfield, said the movement against the pipeline was “about the health and well-being” of friends and neighbors. We are fighting for the public health of our city and the state.”

Anabell Lopez, a teenage activist, spoke about environmental racism and equity in terms of the placement of pipelines and other infrastructure in majority Black, Hispanic and Latino neighborhoods.

Organizer Naia Tenerowicz said, “This is not about reliability “Eversource is following the exact playbook” the company laid out at an industry conference, she said, adding that the company was preying on “outage fear.”

She said the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition’s efforts went beyond stopping the Western Massachusetts Natural Gas Reliability Project. It is part of a wider campaign to “stop all new gas” infrastructure statewide. She said Healey can put an executive order into effect, which would pause any projects that have not already been approved. There is a bill in the state Senate and another in the state House of Representatives that would make a moratorium permanent. She encouraged residents to reach out to elected officials and encourage their support of these measures.

The protesters then set off on the march to the Bliss Street Regulator Station, just over a half-mile away. The chanting crowd received honks and waves of support from passing motorists.