XR Boston Protests "All of the Above" Gas Conference at Federal Reserve Plaza

On Thursday October 1, climate activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) Boston and other groups in the Massachusetts climate movement disrupted business as usual outside the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association’s (NECA) Fuel Conference to protest fossil fuel and natural gas expansion in Massachusetts. Extinction Rebellion Boston uses non-destructive, non-violent civil disobedience tactics, so no motorists or property were put at risk during this protest. As a brass band played, protesters sang, chanted, and held banners reading “No New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure” and “Stop The Fossil Fuel Industry”.

This year’s Northeast Energy and Commerce Association’s (NECA) Fuel Conference conference is entitled “A Return to All of the Above” and features many fossil fuel industry bigwigs including: Shell USA, Eversource, Enbridge, the Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company, and other fossil fuel gas utilities. It features informative panels such as “High Stakes Balancing Act: Inside LDC’s Plans for the Future” and “Building for the Future: Pipelines and Evolving Energy Landscape.” Despite Massachusetts's legal mandate to be net zero by 2050, it’s clear that the fossil fuel industry expects us to continue building gas infrastructure that will be either stranded assets or still in use by 2050, and the Massachusetts government is encouraging them to continue. XR Boston demands that Massachusetts ban new fossil fuel infrastructure and rapidly transition off of natural gas onto cleaner, more affordable, renewable energy.

Paul Dale, the chair of the Massachusetts Sierra Club’s Energy Committee, says “We must not let ourselves succumb to the false narrative that we can't afford a clean energy transition right now, that it is too expensive, when the opposite is true, the ONLY way to lower our energy costs is through conservation and clean energy.”

In March 2026, Governor Healey issued an Executive Order on energy independence and affordability. She said, “The American people are now paying the price as oil and gas bills go through the roof because of President Trump’s costly war. I believe in an all-of-the-above approach to energy – that means solar, wind, gas, nuclear and hydro. While the President is taking American-built energy sources off the table, in Massachusetts, we are saying yes to more supply from more sources of energy.” Extinction Rebellion Boston decries Governor Healey's "All Of The Above" stance on energy policy, which welcomes dangerous, unsustainable natural gas, and demands she take a public stand against natural gas in alignment with her stated position as a "Climate Governor."

By stating that Massachusetts needs to go back to "All of the Above" energy sources, Healey is encouraging continued investment in coal, natural gas, and oil. Shortly after this Executive Order, NECA named their 2026 Fuels Conference "A Return to All of the Above", sponsored by Shell, Enbridge, and other fossil fuel companies. “Maura Healey is inviting fossil fuel companies into our state when we should be reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, clearly going against XR Boston’s demand of No New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure,” says Monty Neill, a longtime climate activist with XR Boston.

When asked why Extinction Rebellion protested the NECA gas conference, spokesperson Jamie McGonagill answers, “How would expanding fossil fuel infrastructure help achieve Massachusetts’s 2030 decarbonization goals? Given that the U.N. report from September says Earth will cross 1.5°C between 2030-2035, resulting in intensified extreme weather, food insecurity, water depletion, and mass suffering, how can fossil fuels possibly help humanity?”

While Massachusetts does not financially sponsor or endorse industry conferences, the Commonwealth is complicit through their continued support of developing new gas infrastructure. The Algonquin Gas Transmission Pipeline and specifically Project Beacon are examples.

"Natural gas is JUST AS BAD as oil and coal. It's not an acceptable bridge fuel. It's not a viable alternative. We're trying to send the message that nowhere is safe for climate criminals. And if Maura Healey wants to be a so-called “Climate Governor,” then she needs to transition away from fossil fuels NOW" said Olivia B., a spokesperson for XR Boston.

Another XR Boston activist who goes by "Beaver" adds, "The gas industry tells the story that methane gas is clean. It is the main fossil fuel in Massachusetts and the Northeastern USA. It traps heat 30 times more powerfully than CO2 over a 100 year period. Gas leaks pollute rivers, communities, and homes, causing asthma and other illnesses."

According to Environmental Defence Canada, "The fossil fuel that's been branded as 'Natural Gas' is mostly made up of a greenhouse gas called methane, which is more potent than carbon dioxide and is responsible for about 30 per cent of the rise in global temperatures. Methane leaks when gas is extracted, produced and transported, adding to the warming of the planet. Methane is over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first 20 year period so its shorter-term climate impacts are immense."

Gas plants are often the top emitters of nitrogen oxides in communities. In the home, gas stoves and ovens release nitrogen dioxide in amounts above safe limits. Even when they are turned off, gas appliances release many other toxic chemicals that are linked to illnesses including asthma and cancer. A 2023 study found that gas stoves are responsible for almost 13 percent of childhood asthma cases in the United States.

The annual Emissions Gap report, which assesses countries' promises to tackle climate change compared to what is scientifically deemed necessary, finds that global warming projections over this century, based on full implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), are now 2.3-2.5°C. However, projections based on current policies show 2.8°C of warming above pre-industrial levels if governments do not take immediate, drastic measures to reduce greenhouse gasses.

In March 2026, scientists definitively proved that the global warming effect has picked up speed in the past decade. At 3C of warming, scientists predict the world could pass several catastrophic points of no return, from the runaway melting of ice sheets to the Amazon rainforest drying out. These results will wreak disastrous effects on humanity, including widespread displacement and famine. The only way to avoid that 3 degrees Celcius threshold is to cut emissions now.

In September, the United Nations Environment Programme published a press release announcing a new report that measures Earth's best-case-scenario peak temperature rise at 1.8°C. Other voices included in the study suggest the rise will be over 2°C. The report states "Above 1.5°C, risks and impacts will intensify with every extra fraction of a degree and every year. Anticipated impacts include intensified extreme weather, ecosystem loss, and submersion of Small Island Developing States and low-lying coastal cities. Severe damage to human health, food security, water supplies, nature, cities, infrastructure, and economies is expected.

The report warns that the likelihood of crossing irreversible tipping points increases with the magnitude and duration of higher temperatures. These include the "destabilization of major ice sheets, degradation of the Amazon rainforest and disruption of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (the system of currents that moves warm surface water north and cold deep water south, playing a key role in regulating the climate). Some impacts may emerge abruptly, while others will accumulate over time."

“There are no good outcomes if we remain above 1.5°C. Across the globe, extreme heatwaves are already proving that climate impacts will strike faster, hit harder, and last longer - costing more lives and causing deeper disruption,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “Now is the time we must double down on climate action. We can – and must – get on the right path by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening resilience and adaptation, and ensuring exceedance of 1.5°C is as small and short as possible.”

In the past several years, Massachusetts has already been hit hard by the effects of the climate crisis. We have already seen the entire state suffer from droughts and destructive wildfires as a result of these dangerous weather conditions. Extinction Rebellion Boston condemns any new fossil fuel infrastructure, whether it be for oil, coal, or so-called "natural" gas.