What is there to say about the latest oil spill disaster? My first few attempts at writing would have had to been translated into cartoon epithets  – “^%*) BP oil $#(*^~ %&#*!!” What we did predict and now know is that: A) the impacts will continue to get worse, B) the experts who promised time and again that they could handle a spill of this type clearly have no clue how to stop the mess or clean it up, and, C) the government that was supposed to provide adult supervision oversight has largely left it to the industry experts. However, the oil industry safety awards program was cancelled this week so they could focus on the tragedy at hand. As best we know around 5000 barrels of oil a day are flowing out now. Recent predictions are that it could wash across read more…

Yesterday, Interior Secretary Salazar gave us a glimpse of our clean energy future by announcing his approval of the Cape Wind project. CLF has worked tirelessly on this project for many years, and the decision was momentous for our organization and others in the environmental, labor and business communities who recognize Cape Wind’s enormous potential for our region and our country. However, as Governor Patrick cautioned a room of enthusiastic Cape Wind supporters after the announcement, thoughtful people can and will disagree on projects like Cape Wind. It is both an asset and a challenge for New England that our landscape, and even our seascape, is small. Every project will impact somebody. By virtue of our physical proximity we are, quite literally, all in this together. And so, more than read more…

On this 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I’m going to cut right to the chase. Earlier in the month, a generous donor issued CLF a challenge: If we reach 400 donations by Midnight on Earth Day, he will donate $40,000 to our most vital work—like climate change and clean energy. Here’s the clincher: We are exactly 38 donations short of our goal, and only a few hours remain until our deadline. That is why we need you to act now—your donation of just $10, or whatever you can afford, will bring us one huge step closer to our goal. How else can you turn a gift as small as $10 into $40,000 for New England’s environment? Here’s what we’ll do with your gift: Hold Dominion Energy responsible for cleaning up read more…

In the spirit of the Federal rebates for efficient appliances discussed in a prior post this  message just came in from Jack Ruderman, the Director of the Sustainable Energy Division at the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission: Friends – I am delighted to report that the Commission is now accepting applications for the residential solar hot water rebate program.  Two rebates are offered:  a State rebate of $600, $750, or $900 depending on system output, and a federal appliance rebate of $750 per system.  The State rebate is funded by New Hampshire’s Renewable Energy Fund, while the federal rebate is funded with federal stimulus funds made available by the Office of Energy and Planning.  There is enough funding available from both sources to provide rebates for up to 660 systems read more…

As implementation of the energy efficiency funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act continues to roll forward a window is about to open that will allow buyers of energy efficient appliances to receive substantial rebates. There is real concern that these programs could prove so popular that the window for getting the rebates will open and close very quickly.  Some states, like Massachusetts, are offering the opportunity to reserve a chance to reserve the rebates  ($250 per dishwasher, $200 per refrigerator, $175 per clothes washer and $50 per freezer) in advance – the Online Reservation Tool to make that happen is scheduled to “go live” at 10:00 AM on April 22, although you can check at the same web page to see what stores are pre-qualified (pretty much all read more…

If President Obama can make the case that “insulation is sexy stuff” in a moment captured on video then we can say that providing the residents of Massachusetts with the chance to save money while staying warm in the winter is sexy as well. The situation is simple – the federal government sets minimum efficiency standards for furnaces.  If a state wants to have tougher rules, ensuring that furnaces sold in that state use less fuel and produce less global warming pollution, it must ask permission from the feds to do so.  Massachusetts has done so. CLF submitted a letter in support of this request by Massachusetts.  Among other things we noted the high numbers of renters in Massachusetts compared to the national average and how renters can’t choose the read more…

U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens’ announcement that he will retire from the United States Supreme Court will bring some much needed attention to the larger issue of judicial nominations under the Obama Administration.  These days, it is hard to  find a good word to say about the ultraconservative majority of the United States Supreme Court that Justice Stevens has tried, with limited success, to counterbalance.  That’s especially true for those who care about clean water (query: because clean water is fundamental to human survival and prosperity, shouldn’t we all care about clean water?)  In a few short years, the Roberts’ Court’s rulings have managed to seriously undermine and restrict one of America’s most important and successful laws–the Clean Water Act.  For example, the NewYork Times recently reported on the chaos one of the read more…

The average American spends 2 ½ hours a day in the car. That’s about 73,000 hours in a lifetime—and tons of havoc wreaked on the environment. The transportation sector is the fastest growing single source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the country, which pollute the air and contribute to global warming. Tackling this challenge means both reducing the amount of driving by smarter development and building transit and reducing the pollution pouring out of each car. Four out of five of the New England states did the next best thing—reduced the amount that cars would be allowed to pollute in the first place. Yesterday, the Obama Administration adopted those regulations nationwide, unveiling the first-ever federal clean cars standard that will limit the maximum level of GHGs that can be read more…

Our hearts go out to New Englanders dealing with the flood disaster caused by record-setting rainfall over the last couple days.  The director of CLF’s Rhode Island Director, Tricia Jedele, has circulated some extraordinary pictures of the deluge that really bring home the scope of the devastation. The tragic events playing out on the ground in Rhode Island–flooding and subsequent failure of public health infrastructure like sewage treatment plants–have been eerily predicted as likely outcomes of human-caused climate change.  But when you see the destruction occurring in Rhode Island and elsewhere in southern New England, you realize that terms like ”climate change” or even “global warming” are grossly inadequate descriptions of what is really going on: total climate chaos.   Here are just some of those eery predictions taken from a 2008 EPA National Water Program strategy document titled “Response to Climate read more…

Since 1977, CLF has led efforts to block offshore drilling in the North Atlantic, particularly in the area of Georges Bank. CLF’s efforts were instrumental in winning drilling moratoria in Georges Bank through 2012. This morning, President Obama announced new plans for offshore drilling. Here’s what Priscilla Brooks, Ph.D., CLF’s Ocean Conservation Program director, had to say. “The Gulf of Maine is a national treasure and Georges Bank an economic engine for many of New England’s coastal communities.  While we are pleased that the Administration chose to spare those and other important national marine resources in the Pacific and Alaska from this new wave of offshore prospecting, we are dismayed that the Obama administration feels it politically expedient to continue the prior administration’s pursuit of the destructive and risky business of oil and read more…