“Fare increases should be modest, predictable, and necessary,” said Staci Rubin, Senior Attorney at CLF. “Riders deserve a reliable ride to get where they need to go at a reasonable price. Any potential fare increase must be tied to service improvements, like finishing the Green Line Extension and fixing the bus system for riders who depend on it most.”
“PFAS contamination is endangering public health across Massachusetts,” said Heather Govern, Director of CLF’s clean water program. “Setting a protective limit is an important first step, as is DEP’s commitment to evaluate every option to protect the public from the entire PFAS class of chemicals. But there are thousands of these dangerous compounds in the environment, and CLF will continue the fight to rid them all from our water.”
“The hybrid option ensures a more sustainable community around the Charles River while providing a necessary link to Boston,” said Amy Laura Cahn, Interim Director of the Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice program at CLF. “However, MassDOT ignored its legal obligation to study how each option would minimize environmental and climate harms. The public needs to know that the project will prioritize the health of the river, maximize public access, and protect an area vulnerable to flooding.”
“Nitrogen pollution is destroying Cape Cod’s bays and beaches and damaging the Cape’s economy,” said Chris Kilian, Vice President of Strategic Litigation at CLF. “Illegal sewage discharge from Wychmere Beach Club is wreaking havoc on water quality.”
“The health and economic well-being of people and our planet depend on bold action today to create a transportation system for the future,” said Amy Laura Cahn, director, Healthy Communities & Environmental Justice program at Conservation Law Foundation. “Environmental justice communities have the fewest resources to adapt to the impacts of climate change but have long borne the greatest burdens of pollution and transportation inequity. We welcome a regional problem-solving approach, but our most disadvantaged residents must have a seat at the table.”
“Today’s report provides a bold vision for the future of Massachusetts, reminding us that our transportation infrastructure needs a massive increase in investment and innovation while ensuring equal access for everyone,” said Bradley Campbell, President of CLF. “The report throws down a gauntlet to the Legislature and the Baker administration to act, without delay, to protect the health and prosperity of families and businesses in the Commonwealth.”
“The waterfront areas across the Commonwealth belong to all of us, not just wealthy corporations and luxury condo owners,” said Bradley Campbell, President of CLF. “It’s important that residents are informed of their rights and are empowered to be advocates to protect access to land that belongs to them. The People’s Guide continues a tradition of working with the community to protect public access and promote open space.”
“Planning for open space and climate resilience is important, but planning without concrete action isn’t enough,” said Deanna Moran, Director of Environmental Planning at CLF.
“The power industry tried every trick in the book to avoid the inevitable, and the state’s highest court rejected each one,” said David Ismay, Senior Attorney at CLF. “The goal of our appeals was to ensure these fossil fuel power generators would reduce their emissions year after year for the sake of our communities and the climate. And the recent Supreme Judicial Court ruling has done just that. We still have a long way to go in the fight to halt climate change and build a thriving clean energy economy, but for the time being, our work with these plants is done.”
“Today’s decision is an unqualified win for climate leadership in Massachusetts,” said Bradley Campbell, President of CLF. “Carbon pollution poses a major threat to our environment, our health, and our economy, and the Court’s opinion is a resounding call for the electricity sector to offer climate solutions rather than resistance and roadblocks.”
