Last week, CLF filed a lawsuit against the EPA and Curtis Spalding, EPA Regional Administrator, Region 1. (You can find a copy of the suit here, and copy of the press release here.) I want to take a moment to explain why this lawsuit is important. The alewife is a critical “keystone” species in marine and fresh waters – it is an important source of food for many fish and marine mammals and for numerous birds.  The alewife is a native fish to many Maine rivers and is anadromous, meaning it starts its life in freshwater ponds and lakes, migrates down river to the ocean where it spends most of its life and then returns to its native waters to spawn. As on many Maine rivers, alewives on the St. read more…

The nation and New Hampshire are relying less and less on coal — our dirtiest, least efficient fuel — to meet our electric power needs. PSNH recently announced it is not operating its flagship coal plant, Merrimack Station in Bow; the plant will sit completely idle for six months of 2012. The two coal boilers at PSNH's Schiller Station in Portsmouth will operate even less. Yet, PSNH customers continue to pay a premium to keep PSNH's coal plants on life support, thanks to a regulatory system that protects PSNH's interests over those of ratepayers. read more..

On Monday, June 4, Congressman Darrell Issa of California and Congressman Frank Guinta of New Hampshire are hosting a hearing in Exeter entitled “EPA Overreach and the Impact on New Hampshire Communities.” read more..

This week on TalkingFish.org: the second post in an interview series with a NOAA fisheries biologist Mike Palmer; CLF's Peter Shelley on the importance of adequately funding fisheries science. read more..

They say that passing legislation is like making sausages. That may be true, but sometimes it is more like waiting for the bus. Almost two months ago, the board of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) approved a balanced operating budget for the coming fiscal year, which includes revenue sources that still need legislative approval. Today, the Boston Globe reported about the continuing lack of a resolution. How much progress has been made? read more..

It was a busy week on TalkingFish.org. A summary of this week's posts: an opinion piece on Congressional efforts to prevent fishery managers from implementing new catch share programs; the first post in an exclusive interview series with a NOAA fisheries biologist; the latest piece in Lee Crockett's "Bottom Line" series; and a weekly roundup of interesting news stories. read more..

I am pleased to announce the launch of our new e-newsletter – Great Bay Currents. As the Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper, my goal is to build a stronger public voice for protecting the Great Bay estuary and for meaningful and immediate actions to address the threats facing this remarkable natural treasure. To accomplish this goal, I need your help. The health of the Great Bay estuary is intractably linked to our quality of life on the Seacoast – in New Hampshire and southern Maine.  It’s key to our local economy, to the recreational opportunities we enjoy, and to the health of the marine environment. Unfortunately, the estuary is approaching a tipping point, and time is of the essence in solving the water pollution problems that threaten it. I hope you’ll sign read more…

This summer, New Hampshire is bracing for news of the Northern Pass project’s future and its “new route.” It’s now been nearly a year since the federal permitting process for the Northern Pass project was put on indefinite hold. North of Groveton, New Hampshire, the developer – Northern Pass Transmission LLC (NPT) – is still working behind tightly closed doors to string together a new section of the project route, where there are no existing transmission corridors, by paying landowners substantial sums for property – in many cases, well above market value. Earlier this month, the chief operating officer of NPT’s parent company, Northeast Utilities, told investors: Where we are right now is in procuring the last 40 miles of the right-of-way, and I can tell you we are making read more…

When people think of Sugarbush Resort, they envision scenes like the one pictured below: high mountain peaks blanketed with pristine snow beckoning skiers to swoosh down the slopes.  Of course when springtime comes that snow melts, feeding small streams that flow first into the iconic Mad River and eventually to Lake Champlain.  These high mountain streams are incredibly important yet sensitive and vulnerable links in the clean water chain.   A skier rests on a sunny day at Sugarbush. Photo by pinneyshaun @ Flickr Creative Commons Rice Brook is one of the streams that flows through the heart of the resort area.  Over the years, runoff polluted with sediment from gravel roads, driveways, and parking lots degraded water quality and habitat conditions in the stream. By 1996, the Brook no read more…

Starting tonight, public hearings will be held around the state on the Cape Wind / NSTAR long-term power purchase agreement. These hearings provide a key opportunity for people to attend and voice their support for this critically important and long-overdue clean energy project. Note that these hearings are not an opportunity for resurrecting a tired old debate regarding whether or not Cape Wind should be built. State and federal authorities – as well as the strong majority of people of Massachusetts – have answered that question with a resounding YES after over a decade of review. The focus here is on the long-term Power Purchase Agreements signed between Cape Wind and NSTAR. Hearings will be held at the following locations at the following times: Natick, Massachusetts Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. Natick Town Hall 13 East Central Street Edward H. Dlott Meeting read more…