We often hear that increasing the amount of impervious cover – surfaces such as roadways and parking lots – leads to more stormwater runoff and declining water quality. So how does a community grow and avoid adding new pollution sources? One key strategy is directing new, appropriate development into existing town centers and downtowns. The City of Dover recently announced a major development project that renovates an old mill complex in the heart of Dover’s downtown. The redevelopment of existing buildings is a welcome alternative to the sprawl that has occurred around the Seacoast in recent decades – sprawl that has led to a staggering increase in impervious cover in New Hampshire’s coastal watershed from 28,710 acres in 1990 to 50,352 acres in 2005. The Cocheco Millworks building has been read more…

Earlier this month I was pleased to join Boston Neighborhood Network (BNN) to discuss the MBTA’s proposed fare hikes and service cuts. See below for a copy of that interview.  

We appreciate Northern Pass spokesman Martin Murray’s comment on my prior post regarding recent research on the greenhouse gas emissions of hydropower and the implications for the Northern Pass project. We are also grateful for Hydro-Québec environment advisor Dr. Alain Tremblay’s comment, to which I responded here. Although we welcome the feedback and dialogue, we are discouraged that Mr. Murray’s comment addresses none of the substantive points raised by the Synapse report (PDF) or my post discussing the report. We are disappointed as well that the comment dismisses the fundamental need identified by the Synapse report – an honest and credible accounting for the effect of new imports on overall greenhouse gas emissions. Instead of working on providing such an accounting and engaging in a real dialogue about this issue, read more…

Gulf of Maine cod, the lifeline of our inshore fishing fleet up and down the coast of New England, is in a biological crisis. That is why I wrote today to the Honorable John Bryson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, calling for federal fisheries disaster relief and interim emergency action. You can read a copy of the letter here, or scroll down to read it below this post. My letter follows the latest scientific data – data that shows that cod stocks are much more heavily depleted than earlier assessments had indicated. According to the 2011 assessment, based on an improved scientific model, three additional years of survey data and more accurate weights-at-age estimates, Gulf of Maine the spawning cod estimates fell to 12,561 metric tons from 33,877 read more…

A bill giving citizens more information about, and more say over, environmental enforcement cases in Vermont was signed into law by Gov. Peter Shumlin yesterday, the successful conclusion of a several-year-long effort by Conservation Law Foundation. Under current law in Vermont, when environmental pollution cases brought by the state are settled, citizens often don’t know about it, and even if they do they have little chance to bring evidence they may have to light – even when they have been directly affected by those violations. In July, when the newly signed act goes into effect, that will change. Anyone with an interest in such cases will be able to file comments, and those who can demonstrate that an interest of theirs was harmed by the pollution will be able to read more…

CLF's take on the agreement, grows out of our deep involvement in the merger proceeding, and our engagement of many issues that are addressed in the settlement including the Cape Wind project and the questions about the net environmental impact of large hydroelectric power, including the study that Syre discusses, and a related analysis that highlights the existential threat to New England-based renewable power from designating large hydropower as eligible for financial incentives under our renewable energy laws. read more..

This week's posts on TalkingFish.org: news on Gulf of Maine cod regulations; end of this year's Gulf of Maine shrimp season. read more..

Keeping the spotlight on administrative agencies is often the best way to ensure that they perform as intended and in the best interests of the people. It’s not sexy and it doesn’t make for good headlines, but it’s true – as we at CLF saw this Valentine’s day. As I detailed a few months ago in two blogs (Malpractice post , Patricia Aho post) and in Maine’s newspapers (Sun Journal article), outside the glare of the spotlight the Maine DEP deliberately waived Maine’s rights under the Clean Water Act to control and mitigate the water quality impacts to Flagstaff Lake of the hydropower project owned by Florida Power & Light. We challenged that decision (Aho Letter) and sought to hold the DEP accountable. We also turned our focus, and spotlight, to a similar read more…

As most of you know, I had one of those painful (and thankfully rare) life experiences this month that reinforce our natural instinct that people matter most of all in life. Thank you all for your kind wishes and support. It made a big difference. read more..

Today, the Patrick Administration reached a breakthrough settlement agreement in the proposed merger between NStar and Northeast Utilities, which, if approved, will create one of the country’s largest public utilities. The agreement is a big win for renewable energy, as it positions Massachusetts to finally unleash the power of Cape Wind, our region’s most promising new clean energy source, and to lead the rest of the country forward on offshore wind. The settlement ensures that this powerful new utility will be in lockstep with Massachusetts’ nation-leading clean energy policies and propel the state forward instead of backwards in implementing them. This is a significant advancement for Massachusetts and all of New England in a number of regards: It removes the last major hurdle to building Cape Wind; It ensures that read more…