Today,  the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the state Department of Environmental Protection announced that they have settled claims over violations of air quality at the Mt. Tom Power Plant in Holyoke, MA.

“CLF is gratified to see the State take enforcement action to address the violations that were uncovered at Mt. Tom,” said staff attorney Shanna Cleveland. “Particulate matter is one of the deadliest air pollutants emitted by coal-fired power plants, and is a major contributor to the poor air quality that is sickening residents in Holyoke and surrounding communities. The State’s insistence on continuous monitoring is an important step toward ensuring that the plant cannot continue to violate emissions limits with impunity.”

Particulate matter is responsible for a wide range of health impacts, including heart disease, lung damage and an increased risk of lung cancer. The asthma rate in Holyoke is more than twice the statewide average of 10.8 percent.

Cleveland continued, “This enforcement action is a step in the right direction, but even with the pollution controls recently installed at Mt. Tom, the plant has continued to emit harmful pollution and violate emissions limits. Despite their significant investment in technology to clean this plant up, the reality is that a 50-year-old coal plant cannot be modernized enough to run in compliance with the law, and moreover, cannot run efficiently, or economically. The only way to stop Mt. Tom from polluting the air and making people sick is for it to shut down. We need to be thinking less about how to keep old, polluting coal plants operating and more about how to get our electricity from clean, renewable energy.” More >

If you needed one more indication that summer in New England has arrived, we have one – the arrival of our Summer 2011 edition of Conservation Matters, CLF’s quarterly newsletter! This issue features one of our favorite parts of a summer outdoors- water. So, grab a spot in the shade (or on the beach) and crack open the latest issue of CM.

Here’s what’s in store for you:

• Read about how CLF is leading the charge for a cohesive, coordinated approach to ocean management planning that balances the need to protect fragile ocean creatures and habitats while maximizing the ocean’s economic development potential, such as offshore wind development;
• Catch up on how CLF has finally gotten MassHighway to curb toxic stormwater runoff from its roads that was contributing to hazardous water pollution problems in nearby waterways;
• Learn how CLF New Hampshire Advocates Society member Honor Passow and her husband and sons carry on the family tradition of environmental conservation
• Meet CLF Maine Staff Attorney Jane West and find out why she traded her Florida air-conditioning for the changing seasons and unspoiled landscapes of New England – and how CLF Maine is tackling the state’s biggest environmental challenges.
• Hear from CLF President John Kassel on why New England’s oceans, and the folks who look forward to who enjoying them every summer  – are worth protecting.

Download the latest issue of Conservation Matters now!

Want to get Conservation Matters delivered right to your door? Become a member today.

Photo credit: Aquanic.org

Catch the latest news from Talking Fish, the blog brought to you by CLF and others that is focused on the scientific, financial and social aspects at work in New England’s fisheries.

June 24: “Farewell to Pat Kurkul,” by Peter Shelley

June 23: “Update from Downeast on Fish Banks,” by Peter Shelley

June 21: “Fishing Banks: The state of play in New England,” by Peter Shelley

June 17: “Talking Fish urges Senator Brown to spend time fixing current problems instead of rehashing old complaints,” by Talking Fish

Yesterday in Augusta, CLF and members of the Environmental Priorities Coalition (EPC) today jointly hailed the work by the 125^th Legislature in exercising restraint in the wake of a record number of proposed bills that sought to weaken Maine’s environmental regulations.

The deregulation effort started with Governor LePage’s proposed rollbacks that were released in early January.   Over the course of the session, that proposal became LD1, “An Act to Ensure Regulatory Fairness and Reform” an umbrella bill that encompassed a wide variety of issues that would significantly harm Maine’s air, water, landscapes and public health.  With over 50 rollback bills in play, the EPC had a busy agenda protecting Maine’s environment but the organization drew on its many coalition partners to target areas of expertise for each bill. Read more >

The Atlantic cod. Photo credit: Wikipedia

Catch the latest news from Talking Fish, the blog brought to you by CLF and others that is focused on the scientific, financial and social aspects at work in New England’s fisheries.

June 16: “Seafoodnews.com: Gloucester, New Bedford mayors foolishly endorsing crazies in New England,” by Talking Fish

“A Crossroads at Sea,” by Winston Vaughan

June 13: “Fishing Banks: Fleet diversity and an intro to permit banks,” by Peter Shelley

June 9: “Overfishing 101: Why ending overfishing is good for both fish and fishermen alike,” by Lee Crocket

June 3: “Commerce Department announces 2011 NEFMC appointments,” by Talking Fish

June 2: “Commerce Secretary nominee should champion policies that rebuild fish stocks and strengthen coastal economies,” by Talking Fish

June 1: “Seafood fraud is bad news, but there are good (and delicious) ways to avoid it,” by Talking Fish

Like what you see? Read more at TalkingFish.org >

Photo credit: Red9898, flickr

Who doesn’t want to live in a Great Neighborhood? On June 23, join some of your neighbors — whether you share a block, town, state or region — along with CLF and the MA Smart Growth Alliance at the Great Neighborhoods Summit 2011: Placemaking in Action. This event, to be held in the Campus Center Ballroom at UMass Boston, brings non-profit organizations, political leaders, academic and policy experts, grassroots activists, and community leaders together to discuss the importance of placemaking and to share ideas about how to inspire collective action that transforms communities and drives local and regional change. Notable events include:

• Opening Remarks by the Honorable Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston
• Metropolitan Issues and Collaboration Across Sectors
• Great Neighborhoods: Regional Change through Local Action
• Panel Discussion: Five Examples of Placemaking and Transformation in Greater Boston
• Keynote Address by Fred Kent, President, Project for Public Spaces: Creating “Place Capital”

Click here for a full schedule of events and speakers.

Great Neighborhoods are active, environmentally friendly and welcoming places where community and business leaders, residents, and public officials work together to create affordable homes, job-generating offices and stores, and recreational spaces close to public transportation. Residents are able to spend more time interacting with neighbors, biking or walking and less time commuting. Massachusetts is leading the way with this groundbreaking initiative that serves as a model for smart community and regional planning, and we need your help.

Great Neighborhoods Summit 2011: Placemaking in Action
Thursday, June 23, 2011
8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
UMass-Boston Campus Center, 3rd Floor Ballroom
100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston (map and directions)

All are welcome. Register today!

Visit www.ma-smartgrowth.org for more info and the latest news and updates.

Photo credit: CLF

For those of you following Maine Governor Paul LePage’s assault on the state’s environmental protections, check out this op-ed by CLF Maine Director Sean Mahoney, which appeared June 3 in the Bangor Daily News. Here, Mahoney rebuffs LePage’s claim that generating more energy from renewable sources in Maine, as required by the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, means higher energy prices for Maine consumers, and rejects his so-called “solution,” a bill entitled “Act to Reduce Energy Prices for Maine Consumers.” Want to hear four reasons why LePage’s Act and attitude are bad for Maine? Mahoney has them here. Read more >

Our CLF Massachusetts-based intern contingent, posing on Boston Common in front of the State House. (Photo credit: CLF)

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Over the last few weeks, CLF has initiated a new group of interns working in our offices across five New England states. CLF’s summer internship program gives undergraduate and graduate students a unique real-world experience in the world of environmental law, as well as communications, development and other aspects of daily operations here at CLF. Please welcome:

Maine
Virginie Roviello, Cavers Legal Intern, Pace University School of Law
Lauren Parker, Cavers Legal Intern, University of Maine School of Law
Cory McKenna, Cavers Legal Intern, University of Maine School of Law

Massachusetts
Nicole Pepperl, Cavers Legal Intern, Harvard Law School
Jeffrey Auger, Cavers Legal Intern, Pace University School of Law
Danielle Changala, Cavers Legal Intern, Vermont Law School
Ronak Davé, Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice Intern, Tufts University
Douglas Hastings, Cavers Legal Intern, Harvard Law School
Kathleen B. Kim, Cavers Legal Intern, Boston University School of Law
Jorge Mendieta, Posse Scholar and Development Intern, Hamilton College
Nancy Shrodes, Ocean Program Volunteer, Tufts University ’11
Chen Song, Cavers Legal Intern, University of Virginia School of Law

New Hampshire
Mike Racine, Cavers Legal Intern, Vermont Law School

Rhode Island
Michael Mahoney, Cavers Legal Intern, George Mason University School of Law
Nick Vaz, Intern, Providence College

Vermont
Erin LaVoie, Cavers Legal Intern, Vermont Law School (read her latest CLF blog post here)
Ben Mack, Intern, Vermont Law School
Elizabeth Spellman, Cavers Legal Intern, Vermont Law School

Stay tuned for more blog posts from our intern crew, coming later this summer!

Photo credit: Marilyn Humphries

For those of you looking for a good clean-energy read, check out this recent article by Climate Progress’s Stephen Lacey. Lacey focuses on the common myth that clean energy and climate reduction policies will mean higher energy costs for consumers, pointing out that two recently released reports show that the implementation of cleaner, more efficient energy systems will actually save them money in the long run. The same myth has been perpetuated regarding the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) here in the Northeast. To debunk that notion, Lacey quotes CLF’s VP for Climate Advocacy and Policy Seth Kaplan:

“The fact is, RGGI is a very, very, very small piece of the overall cost of electricity. There are so many costs that are much greater. Pulling out the cost of RGGI would be like factoring in the cost of mowing the lawn at the power plant or factoring in the property taxes. Some of the claims that groups are making about the cost of the program are patently absurd.”

To hear more from Seth on the subject, read the full article here.