Taking the “T” to the Next Level:
Solutions for Funding Boston’s Public Transit System
Remarks by James A. Aloisi, Jr.
Former Massachusetts Transportation Secretary
Discussion to Follow

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
8:00 AM – Welcome Breakfast
8:30 AM – Presentation begins
Federal Reserve Building
600 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, MA 02210

NOTE: you must present photo ID to enter the Federal Reserve Building

A widely accessible, reliable and safe public transportation system is the backbone of a livable city. To meet the changing needs of its population and stimulate economic opportunity across the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation needs to do more than just resuscitate its existing system; it needs to invest in a public transportation system for the 21st century. But where is the money going to come from?

Former Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Aloisi will discuss innovative solutions for funding Boston’s public transit system. These solutions can create sustainable financing for the MBTA while paying enormous environmental dividends.

Come hear Mr. Aloisi’s ideas and weigh in with your own questions and thoughts on how to finance our public transit system for the future in this open community forum.

This event is open to the public. A few seats are still available; if you would like to join us – please RSVP to events@clf.org.

Providence, RI February 18, 2010 – Affirming the need for proper procedure when deciding the fate of the State’s vulnerable coastal resources, the Rhode Island Supreme Court today overturned a Superior Court ruling that would have allowed the expansion of Champlin’s Marina into Block Island’s Great Salt Pond. The decision was hailed by Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) and others, who argued that the Superior Court exceeded its authority when it decided in February 2009 to circumvent the Coastal Resources Management Council’s (CRMC) permit review process and issue the Champlin’s Marina expansion permit itself.

“We are gratified that the Court agreed with our analysis and ruled in favor of good process,” said CLF staff attorney Jerry Elmer, who argued the case before the Supreme Court. “Today’s decision puts responsibility for determining what’s best for Great Salt Pond back where it belongs – in the hands of those who are charged with preserving our treasured coastal resources for future generations.”

With the Supreme Court’s decision, the case will be sent back to the Coastal Resources Management Council, which will be required to correct procedural errors that occurred in the permit review process and to vote again on the permit application.

Tricia Jedele, director of CLF’s Rhode Island Advocacy Center, stated, “Rhode Island needs cohesive, ethical and courageous management of its coastal resources if we are to adequately protect our state’s greatest assets. This decision underscores both the enormous challenge ahead of us and the mandate to get it right.”

Background

The Champlin’s Marina case dates back to 2003, when Champlin’s Marina applied to the CRMC for a permit to expand into the environmentally sensitive Great Salt Pont of Block Island. The CRMC held 23 hearings into Champlin’s application. In February 2006, by a 5-5 tie vote, the CRMC declined to approve Champlin’s permit application. Champlin’s appealed the permit denial to the Rhode Island Superior Court, which held a lengthy hearing into Champlin’s allegations of impropriety at the CRMC. In February 2009, the Superior Court issued a 91-page decision in which it ruled that there had, indeed, been improper procedures in the CRMC. At that point, the Superior Court should have sent the case back to the CRMC in order to correct the improper procedures and re-vote. Instead, the Superior Court exceeded its legal authority and itself simply granted the disputed permit to Champlin’s. That latter act – the granting of the disputed permit by the Superior Court – was reversed today by the Supreme Court.

CLF Flatbread Pizza Night
Tuesday, February 23
5-9pm
72 Commercial Street
Portland, ME

Join us at Flatbread Company in Portland, ME for a pizza night to benefit Conservation Law Foundation. Putting your money where your mouth is couldn’t be easier: $3.50 of each pizza purchased between 5 – 9 PM will go directly to CLF, benefiting New England’s environment.

So grab your family and friends, and enjoy Flatbread’s famous pizza – topped with organic produce, free-range chicken and nitrate-free meats.

We hope to see you there!

Click here to RSVP on Facebook (RSVP not required) – and please help us spread word far and wide!

Contact: Sue Reid, CLF Senior Attorney (617) 850-1740, sreid@clf.org
Karen Wood, Director of Communications (617) 850-1722, kwood@clf.org

Today marks a critical milestone for the 130-turbine Cape Wind offshore wind energy project as the project has reached an agreement with electric utility National Grid, in consultation with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, to negotiate a long-term commitment for the purchase of the project’s power. Cape Wind is one of New England’s most promising solutions for addressing climate change and reducing the region’s dependence on polluting fossil fuels.

“By committing to ensure that Cape Wind’s emissions-free energy will be delivered to tens of thousands of Massachusetts homes and businesses, Cape Wind, National Grid and the Patrick Administration are leading the way to a clean energy future,” said CLF President John Kassel.

CLF has been working across New England for more than fifteen years to promote long-term commitments for the purchase of renewable energy, like the one that is now expected for Cape Wind. Such agreements often provide critical support for the financing of renewable energy projects while also providing stable energy prices to electric customers for years to come, taking energy bills off the fossil fuel roller coaster.

From noon until 1:30PM, Boston University is hosting a forum for the U.S. Senate Candidates to discuss the environment and a new green economy.

The forum, moderated by NECN-TV’s Jim Braude, is taking place at Meltcalf Trustee Center – and it is being streamed live online.

Click here to watch the live stream.

You’re invited to Next Steps for Salem: Working Towards a Cleaner Future.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Reception: 5:30pm / Presentation: 6:15pm
Salem Visitor Center
2 New Liberty Street
Salem, MA

Salem Harbor Station is close to a tipping point. The owner, Dominion, now faces at least three major obstacles to continuing the plant’s operation:

1. ISO-NE, the system operator for the New England power grid, has recently determined that no more than two of the four units at the facility are still needed for reliability – and some key stakeholders question whether even those two units are needed.
2. The two decade-old permit required for the plant’s water cooling system is long overdue for renewal, and any new permit should require the plant to retrofit with cooling towers to minimize environmental impacts and meet the stringent demands of the Clean Water Act.
3. And this is something that you have all witnessed – the plant has continued to violate emissions standards and blanket your homes and cars and property with black soot.
4. This convergence of events offers an opportunity to move Salem and the surrounding areas beyond the era of coal by closing down this dinosaur of a plant.

You can help to push Salem Harbor Station past the tipping point and into retirement. Come hear about how the Conservation Law Foundation is working to shut down Salem Harbor Station at Next Steps for Salem: Working Towards a Cleaner Future.

With your vigilance, your voices, and your support, we can work together to provide a cleaner and safer Salem. This event is complimentary, but please RSVP to events@clf.org by October 30th.

October 24, 2009 is the International Day of Climate Action, and author Bill McKibben’s advocacy movement known as 350.org has been getting a lot of attention. 350.org is coordinating a widespread day of environmental action with one goal: solutions to the climate crisis.

Why 350? McKibben argues that it is the safe upper limit in atmospheric carbon dioxide, measured in parts per million. In order to avoid an environmental catastrophe, it’s the number targeted by this movement. In this week’s Yale Environment 360, economist Frank Ackerman argues that what is good for the Earth is good for the wallet. Of course, it is an alarming idea that this is the “safe” level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as we are at 390 already – and rising.

Though 350.org’s wide umbrella includes some efforts that are problematic, the message is a powerful one: the time for solutions is now. The medium of that message, hundreds of thousands of people at 4,000 events in 170 countries, is even more striking.

To locate an event in your local community, use the map below:

To hop on this trajectory of a reduction in global carbon dioxide levels, learn the 5 things that New Englanders must do in 5 years, and 5 things that you can do in 5 minutes.

Conservation Law Foundation invites you to follow us on Twitter. We’ll keep you updated with current events, breaking news, announcements, blog posts and action alerts. Click here to follow us!

Do you want to be an über-insider? You can also stay in the loop by joining our Facebook fan page, and by receiving e-mail updates from our blog.

Thank you for being an active participant in this exciting movement!

Last week, the Patrick Administration took a giant step backward in protecting our streams and rivers, all the while claiming that it had the environment’s best interests in mind. CLF and the three other environmental members of the state’s Water Resources Management Advisory Committee needed to act swiftly and boldly. To that end, CLF and the three other environmental members resigned from the committee.

CLF has sent a clear message of protest – and now we need you to do the same.

What happened?

During its announcement of its new “integrated water initiative,” the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) announced that the state was unilaterally revoking its earlier definition of “safe yield” that included environmental protections for rivers. EOEEA and MassDEP are now using a definition that would allow withdrawals of all water from rivers and steams.

CLF’s Peter Shelley stated:

In place of a legal requirement that protected some stream flow for fish and other life in our rivers and streams, MassDEP has adopted a new threshold that offers no environmental protection. In its place, EOEEA proposes a ‘task force’ to come up with a strategy for balancing all the other public interests in our waters. This move makes a mockery of sustainable water management.

You can read the details in our press release or in this Boston Globe article.

What does it mean?

Simply put, our rivers and streams are no longer protected. Our rivers could be drained entirely, resulting in massive fish kills and environmental damage. We already have rivers and streams that are being drawn dry and we are steadily losing trout streams and other cold water fisheries. We can and must do better than this.

What can you do about it?

CLF needs you to stand up with us. Momentum is on our side, but we need you to build on it.

1. If you live in Massachusetts, send a pre-written letter to Governor Deval Patrick, the EOEEA and MassDEP by clicking here.
2. Whether or not you live in Massachusetts, share this blog post to everyone you know that does. There is strength in our numbers.

Massachusetts has abundant natural water supplies that require smart stewardship, not more bureaucratic process. The state is in the process right now of issuing new long-term permits for many of the water systems that are already overdrawing our rivers and streams. We need you to act now.