The Massachusetts Legislative Session is over, and CLF has our recap of the good, the bad, and the “meh” from the last two years of work by our elected officials.
Aug 8
2018
2018
May 14
2018
2018
What’s Wrong with Burning Our Trash, Anyway?
Incinerator companies have done a great job green-washing their true impacts on communities by implying that so-called “waste-to-incineration” facilities are good neighbors offering a safe process that eliminates waste, allows for robust recycling programs, and generates renewable energy. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is burning waste harms the health, environment, and economy of many communities. The perceived benefits simply aren’t worth the risk.
Apr 15
2018
2018
Meet Alyssa Rayman-Read
What drew you to social justice work? Social justice has been a guiding force since I was a kid. My mom was a professor and my dad a psychologist, both with deep roots in social change communities and grassroots organizing. We had intense dinner table conversations with graduate students, professors, activists, and us kids about…
Apr 5
2018
2018
Massachusetts Environmental Justice Act Moves Forward
On a Thursday night in late November of last year, residents from Chelsea and East Boston came out in force for a meeting of Massachusetts’s Energy Facility Siting Board. At issue: a proposal by Eversource, the state’s largest utility company, to build and operate two new 115-kilovolt underground electric transmission lines and an above-ground substation…
Feb 9
2018
2018
New Hampshire Kids Now Better Protected from Lead Poisoning
A new law in New Hampshire adopts much-needed protections to stem the tide of childhood lead poisoning cases in the state.
Nov 5
2017
2017
We’re Not Waiting for Trump’s Promised Infrastructure Investment
If there was one issue where candidate Donald Trump seemed to offer a promise that both sides of the aisle could get behind, it was his vow to spend $1 trillion on public works over the next decade. It would be an investment, he said, in repairing and upgrading the nation’s transportation systems. Unlike the…
Oct 12
2017
2017
Lead Poisoning is 100 Percent Preventable – So Why Is It Still a Problem Today?
When discussing the tragedy of childhood lead poisoning, I’m often met with the incredulous response “Haven’t we already solved that problem?” It’s a fair question. After all, we’ve known that lead is a dangerous toxin, especially for kids, for decades – even long before the federal government banned lead from paint in 1978 and from…
Apr 27
2017
2017
Justice (Not) for All: Trump’s Proposed Budget Eliminates Environmental Justice Office
Trump’s proposed cuts to EPA’s budget would eliminate the Office of Environmental Justice, which is charged with helping to protect vulnerable communities from the harmful impacts of pollution.
Feb 15
2017
2017
Massachusetts Town Moves to Stop Unrestricted Landfill Expansions
Saugus Town Meeting members have sent a clear message to companies with facilities that pose a danger to public health and the environment: there must be reasonable limits. Last week, Town Meeting voted to approve amendments to Saugus’s zoning by-laws that limit the height of all landfills within the town to 50 feet. In addition…
Dec 8
2016
2016
Community Voices: A Message to ExxonMobil
Roseann Bongiovanni is a lifelong Chelsea resident who has led significant environmental justice campaigns for more than 21 years. She is the Executive Director of GreenRoots, Inc., an organization dedicated to achieving environmental and climate justice for Chelsea. Growing up in Chelsea and neighboring Everett, many in our community, myself included, never realized we were…