TURNERS FALLS, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Natalie Blais released a joint statement Thursday on the FirstLight oil leak which was caused by malfunction equipment. The leak occurred earlier this week, on Tuesday, at FirstLight’s Turners Falls facility where 300 gallons of hydraulic fluid were leaked into the Connecticut River.
Comerford and Blais “call on FirstLight to prioritize” the investigation into this 300 gallon oil leak, as well as the three other leaks which have occurred since 2021, which Comerford and Blais called “four leaks too many.”
They then called on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, MassDEP, who just recently issued a 401 Water Quality Certificate to FirstLight as part of their relicensing process, and asked them to “hold FirstLight accountable by reviewing prior infractions and taking the steps necessary to ensure compliance with environmental requirements and to deter future violations.”