Climate disruption is forcing us to regularly grapple with extreme weather. That’s why we need to act now on climate resiliency measures to ensure that our communities can cope with not only the climate impacts here today but with those yet to come.
All of us at CLF are reeling from and sharing in the national outrage over the murders and persecution of black people perpetrated and condoned by the police and other state actors. Racial justice is at the heart of climate justice, and we fight for both.
As eversource plows ahead with plan to build a dangerous electrical substation in East Boston, CLF and GreenRoots continue with fight to stop it.
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Supreme Judicial Court of a recent state decision that would allow a proposed electrical substation in East Boston to bypass an important permitting process. After hours of community testimony in opposition, the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board decided to fast-track the project in a vote on November 29.
“How many times does the community have to say no to this facility while decision-makers fail to listen?” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at CLF. “At every turn, the state has ignored laws governing community input and alternative location of these types of facilities. East Boston does not need yet another environmental burden, and we will continue challenging this substation until the end.”
“After waiting 30 years, this is a historic day for communities that depend on the MBTA,” said CLF President Brad Campbell. “The long-delayed Green Line extension will finally unlock reliable rapid transit for thousands of people in Medford and Somerville. CLF will be continuing to push for the expansion of the Medford branch to Route 16 to bring access to even more residents in the coming years.”
“Burning wood for electricity is a bad idea to begin with, and building a biomass plant in a residential neighborhood is just evil,” said Johannes Epke, an attorney at environmental nonprofit Conservation Law Foundation, an opponent of the plant.
“Burning wood for electricity is a bad idea to begin with and building a biomass plant in a residential neighborhood is just evil,” said Johannes Epke, Staff Attorney at CLF. “The Department of Environmental Protection was right to revoke this permit the first time around, and the appeals office has made the right call today. We will continue our piece of this fight to protect air quality in Springfield by representing the City Council in Land Court in opposition to this facility.”
“The fact is that the community overwhelmingly opposes the construction of this substation, and state laws regarding the siting of this facility have been ignored,” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at CLF. “The Siting Board’s decision contributes to the inequitable distribution of environmental burdens and benefits and disregards East Boston residents’ voices. We’ll continue to partner with the community to challenge this facility.”
The 2022 midterms captured national headlines for weeks. We asked CLF experts how the results will impact climate action and environmental justice in New England.
