Climate Activists ARRESTED Blocking Traffic in Copley Square, Protesting Gas Conference

Members of Extinction Rebellion disrupt business as usual at the Northeast LDC Gas Forum. Extinction Rebellion (XR) condemns new fossil fuel infrastructure that will be in operation for decades, preventing us from achieving decarbonization and threatening us with runaway global heating and an uninhabitable Earth. XR Boston demands that Massachusetts ban new fossil fuel infrastructure and rapidly transition off of "natural gas" (methane).

On Monday June 8, climate activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) Boston, Vermont, and New Hampshire disrupted business as usual at the Northeast LDC Gas Forum to protest fossil fuel and natural gas expansion in Massachusetts. Starting at 7:30 am, members of Extinction Rebellion blocked traffic outside the Westin Hotel in Copley Square in a peaceful, non-violent, non-destructive act of civil disobedience. The Westin Hotel Copley has hosted this annual fossil fuel conference for several years; XR Boston's first arrests happened while blocking the entrance in 2019. Extinction Rebellion Boston uses non-destructive, non-violent civil disobedience tactics, so no motorists or property were put at risk during this protest. Five trained and prepared rebels were arrested while demanding that Massachusetts divest from natural gas and other fossil fuels.

Activists parked a pink car emblazoned with the phrase "GAS IS BAD FOR MASS" in the intersection of St. James Ave. and Dartmouth St. in Boston, effectively stopping other cars from passing through the intersection from the St. James side. One activist attached herself to the car with a welded metal tube, while others locked themselves to large pink barrels. The tops of the barrels were outfitted with tall poles holding banners that read "Road Closed for 'Natural' Gas Conference". Meanwhile, other protesters crowded the sidewalks holding a banner that said "Westin Welcomes Climate Criminal Conference". The crowd sang, chanted, and waved signs with information about natural gas, including:

• "Natural" Gas = Methane Gas
• "Natural" Gas = 30x worse than CO2
• "Natural" Gas = Expensive
• "Natural" Gas = Asthma
• "Natural" Gas = Climate Crisis
• "Natural" Gas = Explosions
• "Natural" Gas = Pollution
  

​​​"Why am I getting arrested for protesting the Northeast LDC Gas Forum? Executives expanding the fossil fuel industry during a time of climate collapse are literal Batman villains. They are building immense personal wealth from the destruction of our futures, and by obliterating what futures our children could have had. There's no gray area here, there's no excuse. There should be nowhere for them to hide without deafening opposition," says Jamie McGonagill, a spokesperson for XR Boston who stood attached to the parked pink car with a welded metal tube.

The Northeast LDC Gas Forum, an annual fossil fuel industry event, is being held from June 8 through 10 at Westin Copley Place Hotel. This conference is full of fossil fuel industry bigwigs including BP, Conoco Phillips, Chevron, Kinder Morgan, and other fossil fuel gas utilities. It features informative panels such as "Build Baby, Build: Ensuring critical Natural Gas infrastructure to efficiently transport supply to satisfy market demand". 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.

While Massachusetts continues to put resources into fossil fuel infrastructure, the Massachusetts Senate is on track to take up a bill already passed by the House that would cut $1 billion of funding for the Mass Save program. Buildings are responsible for 35% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, Mass Save is already under-funded even though it is vital to making progress towards the state’s carbon-reduction goals for buildings. Meanwhile in the last year, Eversource doubled its profits to $1.6 billion. Its CEO had a total compensation of $13.6 million in 2024. "It's criminal how utilities in the Northeast have had record profits in 2025, building gas infrastructure, while residents' energy and bills have skyrocketed" says an art teacher and activist with XR Boston who uses the alias "Beaver".

Sam B., an engineer, was one of the activists who held banners and chanted at the protest. When asked why she joined the demonstration, she responded, “Massachusetts already has the technology for the green transition. We just need the political and social will. I hope we can inspire people to stand up for what they believe in."

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." While Massachusetts does not financially sponsor or endorse industry conferences, the Commonwealth is complicit through their continued support of developing new gas infrastructure in MA. The Algonquin Gas Transmission Pipeline is one example. XR Boston spokesperson Susan Lemont comments, "Expanding pipelines in Massachusetts is unhinged capitalism at its very worst. It means astronomic utility bills for us now and an unlivable climate in the future. It is not MassSave that is driving up our costs, but Eversource and NationalGrid."

"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." said Olivia B., a spokesperson for XR Boston. The 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. Extinction Rebellion Boston condemns any new fossil fuel infrastructure, whether it be for oil, coal, or so-called "natural" gas.