UPDATE: The Rhode Island legislature passed the Act On Climate 2021 bill, which will put the state on track to lowering its climate-damaging emissions and help Rhode Islanders benefit from the transition to a clean energy economy. After a final review, the bill will go to Governor McKee to sign into law.
2021
2021
Massachusetts Makes History on Climate and Environmental Justice
After years of advocacy from CLF and our partners, Massachusetts has passed a critical climate and environmental justice bill that updates our existing climate law and adds protections for historically marginalized communities.
2021
Governor Baker Rejects Climate and Justice Legislation
Massachusetts legislators overwhelmingly passed critical climate and justice legislation. But Governor Baker vetoed the bill – choosing not only to ignore sound science, but also to let decades of racist policy targeting low-income, Black, and Brown communities go unchallenged.
2020
What Are Climate Laws and Why Do We Need Them?
We can still avoid the worst impacts of climate change if we reach net-zero carbon pollution before 2050. We need strong climate laws in every New England state to hit that mark.
2020
Climate Change Is the Threat of Our Lifetime
New England is extremely vulnerable to climate change. It’s a crisis not only for the environment, but also for the health of our communities. It will take systemic change in the way we do business, the way we govern, and the way we guide people to solve climate change and move into the next century.
2020
Vermont House Overrides Governor’s Climate Veto
“We can’t afford to let politics get in the way of preparing Vermont for the climate crisis,” said Jen Duggan, Vice President and Director of Conservation Law Foundation Vermont. “The science is clear: the longer we kick the can down the road on dealing with climate impacts, the more disastrous it will be for our communities. Today, our Representatives overwhelmingly voted to support the Solutions Act and ensure we don’t leave any Vermonters behind. We urge the Senate to follow the House’s lead so we can get to work.”
2020
Watching the West Coast Wildfires from New England
In the decade since I’ve moved away from California, I’ve watched the climate there go from a temperate paradise with the occasional fire to a place with scorching summers and yearly infernos. This is climate change, playing out right in front of us. It’s easy to see these and other disasters from afar and not call them climate catastrophes. But that’s exactly what they are.
2020
UPDATE: Protecting Public Health Means Protecting Our Climate
Our recovery from the coronavirus must be more than just a return to the status quo. Along with helping us rebuild our local economies and communities, recovery must also lead to a more resilient, healthier state for all Vermonters.
Why New England States Are Fighting the Climate Crisis with Laws to Slash Emissions
Here in New England, only Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine have binding laws that set enforceable limits on the emissions that cause climate change – the same emissions scientists say must drop to net zero before 2050 to avoid the worst effects of climate catastrophe.
2020
Climate Change Threatens Vermont. A Strong Climate Law Will Help.
The Vermont legislature is considering a critical bill that will cut climate-damaging emissions across the state and smooth the way for a more resilient future. The bill, the Vermont Global Warming Solutions Act, will simultaneously slash pollution and build climate-ready communities.