Removing the incentives and rebates for heat pumps as called for by the oil dealers would only punish those who don’t have the resources to choose a cleaner, healthier and cheaper way to heat, cool and dehumidify their homes and businesses. There is nothing just or equitable about that. Stay the course, Maine.
Greg Cunningham, director of the climate and clean energy program at the Conservation Law Foundation in Massachusetts, has been pleased to see that the struggles to pass major legislation have ended in success in many places.
“I would say that the last two years there has been more activity than I’ve seen in my 15 years of doing this,” said Greg Cunningham.
“Judge Wolf saw right through Exxon’s attempts to further delay this case,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “The longer this case goes on, the greater chance of a major storm exposing just how vulnerable this facility is, which would be catastrophic for surrounding neighborhoods and for Boston Harbor. This was yet another desperate attempt by Exxon to hide what it knows about the climate crisis.”
“The actions announced today give Connecticut’s communities vital new tools to combat climate impacts,” said CLF attorney Shannon Laun. “We know this crisis won’t affect everyone equally, so the Governor’s focus on environmental justice and equity is absolutely critical. We’ll be pushing our leaders to go further by strengthening climate targets, adopting stronger vehicle emissions standards, accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, and rapidly phasing out fossil fuels.”
“The PUC has dealt a devastating blow to New Hampshire families, businesses and our planet,” said CLF Attorney Nick Krakoff. “Energy efficiency programs help us reduce our energy use, which means lower bills and less damaging climate pollution from fossil fuels. The absurd and arbitrary decision to do away with these popular programs must be overturned.”
We must learn as a people to protect not only ourselves and the environment but also to fight another form of systemic and institutional racism that is killing us all – environmental racism.
As we reflect on what went wrong at last month’s global climate conference, we can find hope in everything we’ve accomplished in New England. Our fight isn’t over yet.
Vermont just released a roadmap to reach the targets of our Global Warming Solutions Act. Let’s dive into some of what it got right and what needs more work.
“The climate crisis is putting Vermont’s communities at risk as we speak,” said Elena Mihaly, Vice President of CLF Vermont. “The Climate Action Plan is a huge first step in slashing polluting emissions, building smarter, and prioritizing communities overburdened by climate impacts. We’ll be pushing to make sure the implementation of the plan prioritizes cleaning up our transportation systems and transitioning to truly clean heat and electricity. Our homes, land, and critical resources can’t wait.”
“TCI was never going to be enough to address the impacts and needs of the region’s transportation systems,” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at CLF. “Transportation is the largest source of planet-warming emissions in New England, and our current systems have overburdened communities of color with air pollution for decades. We must overhaul the way we move people and goods, and it must be done in a way that recognizes and addresses these historic inequities and brings everyone to the table in finding a solution. CLF will continue to work with impacted communities and our states to move that process forward.”
