This week, Massachusetts had a chance to make meaningful progress on clean energy. With a slew of bills in front of them, the legislature was poised to minimize electricity costs, bolster local job growth, and protect its people from the worst effects of climate change. Instead, our legislators made only half-hearted nods towards progress, falling…
Jul 31
2018
2018
Jul 10
2018
2018
Governor Sununu Gets Failing Grade on Energy and Climate
Even before New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu took office in 2016, we knew that he might be a climate change denier. But he was also a ski resort owner, who should know from experience that increasingly warm and volatile weather hurts our economy, our environment, and our way of life. So we kept an open…
Jul 2
2018
2018
Vermont Sets the Stage for Climate Action
In the realm of energy and climate change, this year’s legislative session was a big yawn. Legislators took some baby steps towards progress at a time when big leaps are needed. But all journeys begin with a single step, so these modest actions can set the stage for the hard work ahead. While it’s good…
Jun 14
2018
2018
Massachusetts Senate Passes Comprehensive Environmental Bill
“This legislation is an important step forward in combatting climate change, growing real local jobs, and making Massachusetts a healthier place to live. It works to ensure that we will meet our 2050 climate mandate by setting a reasonable timeline with milestones along the way, while adding protection for vulnerable communities and our workforce. We urge the House to follow the Senate’s lead and pass this legislation.”
May 2
2018
2018
New Home Energy Audit Bill Has Right Idea But Wrong Funding
This week, CLF joined with a host of partner organizations to lend support for Governor Charlie Baker’s home energy scorecard program.The program, outlined in H. 4371, An Act relative to consumer access to residential energy information, would require homeowners to undertake a home energy audit and include a home energy scorecard when they sell their…
Jan 10
2018
2018
Cold Snap Shows We Still Don’t Need New Gas Pipelines
New Englanders just weathered the worst cold snap that we’ve faced in 100 years, complete with a new phenomenon known as a “bombcyclone.” Now don’t be mistaken, a “bombcyclone” does not involve Armageddon, the sky falling, or even blackouts due to energy shortages. But you’d have thought so based on the news over the past…
Apr 22
2017
2017
Conservation Matters Spring 2017
Talking Trash CLF Launches Zero-Waste Project to Tackle Massachusetts’s Trash Problem Getting Smart about Energy Energy Efficiency Under Fire in Maine Why I Give Rebecca LaRocque Five Questions For… Rebekah Weber, Lake Champlain Lakekeeper
Apr 12
2017
2017
Climate-Damaging Emissions are Down in Massachusetts, but Getting to 2050 Will Take Much More
Last week Massachusetts finalized and released the state’s latest inventory of its statewide emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases (GHGs). The final numbers indicate that in 2014, the Commonwealth released the equivalent of 74.6 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is a slight improvement over 2013. That’s good news and is far better than the increase in climate-damaging emissions we saw the year before. But a single year of slightly lower emissions isn’t good enough.
Apr 11
2017
2017
CLF Brings Public Utilities Commission to Maine Supreme Court for Underfunding Energy Efficiency
CLF took the Maine Public Utilities Commission to court today for underfunding the state’s three-year energy efficiency budget by $30 million – resulting in losses of $270 million dollars for Maine citizens and businesses. You read that right – shortchanging energy efficiency translates to lost benefits totaling hundreds of millions of dollars for hardworking Mainers.