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? read more…

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 read more…

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!

Our friend Mike Tidwell, the Executive Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (and definitive climate policy blogger Joe Romm) directs attention to the thoughts of Jeff Masters, head meteorologist at Weather Underground on how the current spate of East Coast blizzards is the kind of phenomena that climate science tells us to expect as the globe warms: A major new winter storm is headed east over the U.S. today, and threatens to dump a foot or more of snow on Philadelphia, New York City, and surrounding regions Tuesday and Wednesday. Philadelphia is still digging out from its second top-ten snowstorm of recorded history to hit the city this winter, and the streets are going to begin looking like canyons if this week’s snowstorm adds a significant amount of snow read more…

The summary at the top of this blog post sums it all up: In 2009, Neil Young released Fork In The Road, an album which is dedicated to the Lincvolt project that transformed his classic Lincoln Continental into a hot zero emissions vehicle that gets 100 mpg. In this paean to the LincVolt project, Karen Barry also asks, if a 1959 vehicle can be green, what is stopping all current vehicles from achieving the same goal? This is not the first time that Mr. Young has put himself out on the scene as an important environmental voice.  Back in the 1970′s on his classic album “On the Beach” he presented mankind as a vampire preying upon the earth in the song Vampire Blues.   A decade and a half later in read more…

The explosion at a nearly-completed power plant under construction in Connecticut illustrates the direct dangers inherent in harnessing fuels like natural gas.  The accident occurred during the “purging” of the gas lines that were to provide the fuel for the plant – an activity of concern to some observers who believe it to be an unsafe practice, and even  has elicited investigation by the government regulators who oversee such plants. The workers who lost their lives, or were injured, in the explosion, and their families, should be in the thoughts and prayers of all. We should never forget that the power that we use to operate our homes, offices and wireless devices does not come free – and sometimes we pay that price with something more precious than mere money.  read more…

While the overarching environmental challenge of our time continues to be global warming we can’t loose sight of the need to confront the other air pollution that threatens the public health.  For those of us who fighting against dangerous pollution from coal fired power plants like Salem Harbor in Massachusetts this is not news – but the fact that a bi-partisan group of U.S. Senators (there is a phrase you don’t see much !!) have filed legislation to address this pollution is significant.   Exactly how good a bill is this?  We don’t know as they haven’t released the text and the devil (and god) are in the details.   But it is good to see our Senators paying attention to coal plant pollution ! Meanwhile, Tricia Jedele who runs CLF’s office read more…

Update: News articles in Boston Globe, Salem News and Boston Business Journal about this announcement. Puts Dominion Energy On Notice Of Clean Air Act Lawsuit BOSTON, MA (January 27, 2010) In a continuing effort to bring the Salem Harbor Station coal-fired power plant into compliance with the federal Clean Air Act, Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) today announced that it intends to file a federal suit against Dominion Energy of New England for ongoing violations of smokestack emissions limits. The suit focuses on the emissions of particulate matter – small particles of chemicals, metals and ash which have been linked to severe health and environmental problems. If successful, the suit would hold Dominion responsible for paying millions of dollars in penalties retroactively for violations of the smokestack emissions limits. The violations read more…

The bad news: Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced a resolution designed to tamper with the science driven regulatory process of Greenhouse gas emissions by the U.S.E.P.A. The good news: The two Republican Senators from Maine, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, courageously refused to follow their party line and did not sign on to the resolution. “Maine should be proud to have two senators with the courage to do the right thing for Maine and the country when it comes to critical environmental issues,” said Sean Mahoney, director of the Conservation Law Foundation’s Maine Advocacy Center.  ”Unlike Senator Gregg of New Hampshire and his Republican cohort of climate change deniers, Senator Snowe and Senator Collins withstood the pressure of party politics and did not join in this attack on the authority read more…

It’s hard to say a good word about the new fees being charged by airlines for checked baggage.  Travel websites abound with tips on how to get around these new fees.  At the risk of taking an unpopular stand, anyone who cares about reducing global warming pollution needs to think twice before decrying this industry practice.  If you’ve ever tried to calculate your “carbon footprint“–the measure of the greenhouse gas emissions you create directly or indirectly as you live your life–then you know that your footprint grows larger and larger with each trip you take on an airplane.  Like the cars we drive, the planes we fly in burn lots of fossil fuels and emit greenhouse gases as a result.  Scientists say jet airplanes also contribute to global climate change through the “contrails” they leave in read more…