Decades of environmental injustices won’t be addressed without strong legislation to drive change. Local organizations are working to reduce burdens on environmental justice communities, but it’s up to the Massachusetts legislature to redress decades of wrongs and put our state on a path to a more equitable future.
Jul 2
2020
2020
Apr 22
2020
2020
On the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day: Advocacy in a Pandemic
The lethal pandemic and its response are causing massive disruption to our economy and adding stress to most of our lives. But neither the human nor the economic costs of the virus are being borne equally. The communities hit first and worst by deadly air pollution, toxic chemical releases, climate threats, and other environmental harms…
Dec 23
2019
2019
Fighting for Clean Air in Connecticut
If you live anywhere near a school, you have likely seen buses idling while waiting for students to board or exit. Unfortunately, this routine practice can translate to serious health problems for kids and adults. Building on prior cases against tailpipe polluters, we recently announced a lawsuit against DATTCO, Inc. to force their buses to stop idling their engines and polluting neighborhoods with toxic diesel exhaust.
Dec 17
2019
2019
Connecticut School Bus Provider Polluting Neighborhoods
“Diesel exhaust pollution robs children of their futures,” said Kenta Tsuda, Staff Attorney at CLF. “Kids’ health should not be put at risk simply by riding the school bus or playing outside. DATTCO must immediately stop spreading toxic pollution in the communities it’s meant to serve.”
Aug 21
2019
2019
Protecting New England Together
On August 15, Massachusetts lost a powerful voice for justice. Michaelann Bewsee was a fearless ally and treasured friend whose passion and selflessness profoundly impacted the lives of her neighbors in Springfield and beyond for generations. In her honor, we want to share this piece, originally published in March of 2015, about her work to…
Nov 8
2017
2017
One Year Down: Fighting Back and Fighting On for New England
We’re not giving in. Yes, approaching a year after President’s Trump’s election, he seems intent on undermining decades of work to protect public health and the environment and fostering an ideology that denies and denigrates the basic facts of science. But we’ve been here before. In the 1970s, oil companies were intent on drilling for…
Aug 4
2017
2017
CLF Takes EPA to Court for Allowing Landfills to Pollute
President Trump’s EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, is on a crusade to pollute our air by rolling back important rules that keep New England – and the rest of the U.S. – safe from dangerous emissions. But in his rush to shut down important rules that protect our air, water, and health, Pruitt has started cutting…
Aug 8
2016
2016
Video: Proposed Biomass Plant in Springfield Will Make Air Pollution Worse
Last week, CLF and Arise for Social Justice took our ongoing case against a proposed biomass plant in Springfield to the Massachusetts Superior Court, arguing to oppose an air quality permit that has been granted for the plant. Residents in the City of Springfield already suffer from higher-than-average rates of asthma and other serious respiratory…
Aug 3
2016
2016
MA Superior Court Hears Arguments Against Springfield Power Plant
“In a community already suffering from high rates of childhood asthma and other serious respiratory conditions, the last thing we should be doing is literally adding fuel to the fire,” said Veronica Eady, Director of CLF’s Massachusetts Advocacy Center. “We wouldn’t let our children ingest even one ounce of ammonia, so why would we allow a plant that, by the company’s own admission, will spew over 140 tons of ammonia, carbon monoxide, and other toxic pollutants into our air? PRE may value a quick buck over the health and safety of this community, but CLF is proud to stand with the people of Springfield and fight this proposal.”
Aug 21
2014
2014
Palmer Renewable Energy gets back their biomass plant building permit
CLF has been working in partnership with Michaelann Bewsee and the community-based organization she leads in Springfield, MA – Arise for Social Justice – for the last several years. Michaelann, Arise, and a group of activists who have organized under the name Stop Toxic Incineration in Springfield are fighting a biomass power plant that Palmer…