Blog
February 17, 2017 | Citizen Action Turns the Tide on Massive Landfill Expansion in SouthbridgeOn Monday night, more than 100 people from the south-central Massachusetts towns of Sturbridge, Charlton, and Southbridge turned out for an emergency meeting of the Sturbridge Board of Health. They came to express their anger to the Regional Director of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) that the 19 home wells in the Sturbridge neighborhood… Continue reading Citizen Action Turns the Tide on Massive Landfill Expansion in Southbridge |  |
February 16, 2017 | New England’s Big Pipeline MythFor three years now, Big Gas has been spinning tall tales aimed at scaring you and me – and especially our local politicans – into locking in our addiction to dirty, polluting natural gas for decades to come. But their hype ignores the facts and the very real progress made over the past few years to avoid price spikes, keep the lights on, and tamp down our emissions of climate-damaging pollution. |  |
February 15, 2017 | Massachusetts Town Moves to Stop Unrestricted Landfill ExpansionsSaugus Town Meeting members have sent a clear message to companies with facilities that pose a danger to public health and the environment: there must be reasonable limits. Last week, Town Meeting voted to approve amendments to Saugus’s zoning by-laws that limit the height of all landfills within the town to 50 feet. In addition… Continue reading Massachusetts Town Moves to Stop Unrestricted Landfill Expansions |  |
February 15, 2017 | Massachusetts Updates Environmental Justice Policy, But Leaves Room for ImprovementTwo recent developments have renewed momentum for positive change to environmental justice laws and policies in Massachusetts. First, the State released a long-awaited update to its Environmental Justice Policy – fifteen years after it first issued the policy, and two years after a mandatory deadline for updating it. And, second, a new bill introduced in… Continue reading Massachusetts Updates Environmental Justice Policy, But Leaves Room for Improvement |  |
February 14, 2017 | Why the Zero Waste Project? Protecting My Family and Yours.I can still remember the conversation vividly. It was February of 2008 and my brother was calling to beseech me to represent a group of citizens to oppose the expansion of the Southbridge Landfill. I have to admit, I was skeptical about his concerns. This was the brother with all the ideas I sometimes wish… Continue reading Why the Zero Waste Project? Protecting My Family and Yours. |  |
February 10, 2017 | Latest Report on Massachusetts Transportation Financing Finds Progress, But Much More to DoThe Transportation for Massachusetts coalition – of which CLF is a member – today released the latest in a series of reports evaluating the implementation of the Commonwealth’s landmark Transportation Finance Act of 2013. The Keeping on Track reports are aimed at ensuring the new law’s success at addressing the most pressing needs of the… Continue reading Latest Report on Massachusetts Transportation Financing Finds Progress, But Much More to Do |  |
February 9, 2017 | What’s Next for Clean Water in VermontThis past year was big for clean water in Vermont. The pollution limits for Lake Champlain were finalized, and a slew of new rules for agriculture, development and wastewater were established. CLF fought hard to shape these new policies to protect the environment and to ensure we have regular check-ins and honest accounting on how… Continue reading What’s Next for Clean Water in Vermont |  |
February 8, 2017 | CLF Takes on LePage in Maine’s Highest Court“Using less energy saves families and businesses money.” This truism guides the mission of Efficiency Maine Trust, a state-funded entity designed to provide low-risk, high-reward energy efficiency resources to families and businesses in the state. Saving money is usually something everyone can agree on, and yet Governor LePage and his appointees on the Public Utilities… Continue reading CLF Takes on LePage in Maine’s Highest Court | |
February 6, 2017 | Rooftop Solar under Threat in New HampshireSome state legislators are gunning for rooftop solar. Last year, New Hampshire legislators passed a bill that directed the Public Utilities Commission to open a proceeding to collect and analyze data to decide two things: First, whether the state needs a cap on the number of solar and other distributed clean energy installations permitted in… Continue reading Rooftop Solar under Threat in New Hampshire |  |
January 27, 2017 | Sonny Perdue: What Will You Do for New England’s Farmers?Last week we learned that former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Perdue, educated as a veterinarian and the son of a farmer, spent much of his career in business, including running a garden supplies company, shipping operation, and a fertilizer and grain company. In announcing the nomination,… Continue reading Sonny Perdue: What Will You Do for New England’s Farmers? |