We are at a defining moment in the effort to avert the threat of climate catastrophe. President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord has put the United States on the wrong side of history. With renewed urgency, CLF is escalating our work to develop legally binding climate laws, like the one we helped create and enforce here in Massachusetts, in every New England state.
Vermonters see firsthand the disastrous impacts of too much phosphorus pouring into Lake Champlain when favorite swimming beaches close and toxic blue-green algae coats portions of the lake in a stinky slime. So why does the state Agency of Natural Resources want to let towns dump more phosphorus pollution into the lake?
CLF is working on modernizing the electrical grid across New England. Learn what that means for the future of electricity.
“The last thing Lake Champlain needs is more pollution, yet that is exactly what state officials are allowing with these permits,” said CLF Vermont Director Christopher Kilian. “The cavalier attitude with which our leaders are willfully defying their obligation to protect our waters is indefensible, irresponsible, and illegal. Lake Champlain is at a critical juncture, and if these permits are allowed to stand, the frequent blue-green algae outbreaks and beach closures we’ve seen this fall will be just a precursor of things to come.”
In a stealth move that went virtually unnoticed by major media outlets, Energy Secretary Rick Perry last week used an obscure provision of law to essentially put the government’s thumb on the scale in favor of coal-fired and nuclear power plants. Secretary Perry directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue a new rule… Continue reading Rick Perry Wants to Prop Up Old Coal and Nuclear Plants at Taxpayers’ Expense
UPDATE: CLF argued our case this morning, taking Vermont gas to task for trying to charge hardworking vermonters for a polluting pipeline. The Vermont Supreme Court was engaged in our argument – we’re asking that the Vermont Public Utilities Commission follow its own rules and re-examine this project based on ballooning costs. We’ll let you… Continue reading UPDATE: Fighting the Vermont Gas Pipeline – at the State Supreme Court
Self-driving cars feel like the stuff of science fiction. Given the speed at which self-driving cars are joining conventional vehicles on the road, it’s important to address some myths about them. Only by getting at what’s really happening right now can we make sensible plans for how self-driving cars can be safely and sensibly integrated into New England’s transportation network.
Self-driving cars are no longer a dream of the future, but are here now. While we’re still in the early stages of testing and adoption, it’s expected that we will see a major proliferation of self-driving cars here in the States soon. That means we need to plan for them now – and what a proliferation of self-driving cars will mean for our roadways, our environment, and our daily lives.
National monuments without protections from commercial activities won’t do what they’re meant to do – comprehensively protect our natural, scientific, and cultural treasures In late August, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke submitted to President Trump a report on his summer-long, unnecessary “review” of 27 of America’s treasured national monuments, including two of the newest: the Northeast… Continue reading Monuments on Paper Only?
The devastation left by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma shows that bold action is needed now — and needed everywhere — to cut climate-damaging emissions. We can build stronger communities by hastening our transformation to cleaner, renewable energy. Renewable energy not only reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions, but also provides good local jobs. This summer, Vermont’s… Continue reading Vermonters: Speak Up on Climate Action!
