Last week, in the waning hours of the Massachusetts General Court’s informal legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill dedicated to promoting electric vehicles (or “EVs”). S.2505, “An Act promoting zero emission vehicle adoption,” is a positive step forward toward a cleaner, electrified, more consumer-friendly transportation future. The bill is aimed at helping communities across the Commonwealth promote…
Jan 12
2017
2017
Jan 4
2017
2017
CLF Calls Electric Vehicles Bill a Positive Step Forward in Reducing Polluting Emissions
“Massachusetts consumers want electric cars, but convenient access to charging stations is a barrier to getting more electric vehicles on the road. This bill helps communities promote the charging infrastructure necessary to support increased electric car sales in the state,” said Megan Herzog, Staff Attorney, Conservation Law Foundation.
Dec 2
2016
2016
Maine Rejects Big Gas’s Gamble – For Now
Last week, the Maine Public Utilities Commission closed the latest chapter (for now) in the ongoing saga that is the demise of Spectra’s Access Northeast Project when it decided to indefinitely postpone its proceedings on the ill-conceived natural gas pipeline proposal. Previously, the Commission decided to move forward with a contract for natural gas capacity…
Nov 3
2016
2016
Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Massachusetts’ Path Forward
In a recent Executive Order, Governor Baker broke his silence on this summer’s landmark decision by Massachusetts’ highest court on the Global Warming Solutions Act. The Court’s decision in Kain v. Dept. of Environmental Protection unanimously confirmed that Baker’s administration must act decisively to ensure the Commonwealth meets the Global Warming Solutions Act’s 2020 cap…
Sep 29
2016
2016
Why We’ve Filed Suit Against ExxonMobil
As the former Executive Director of Roxbury-based Alternatives for Community and Environment and current Director of CLF Massachusetts, I’ve spent my career fighting for environmental justice, including the challenges faced by the communities along the Mystic River. That’s why I am so excited to take on one of the biggest issues we face: pollution in…
Sep 8
2016
2016
Lessons on Offshore Wind from Copenhagen
Do you remember the energy crisis of the 1970s? Countries like the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe – all overly-reliant on foreign oil – faced oil shortages and spiking prices. Perhaps you’ve seen images of cars lining up to purchase gasoline, or heard stories of gasoline rationing. If your license plate ended in an odd…
Aug 31
2016
2016
Drought in New England: Expect the Unexpected
What does the climate have to do with the food system? A lot, it turns out. This relationship plays out in different ways, but lately we have been seeing an awful lot of one particular aspect. From the production side to the business side of agriculture, drought and heat are a dangerous combination. Drought conditions…
Aug 22
2016
2016
Turning The Tide on Dirty Energy: MA Supreme Judicial Court Weighs In
For the second time this summer, the highest court in the Commonwealth has ruled unanimously and unambiguously in CLF’s favor, confirming that it is illegal for the Baker administration to force businesses and families to subsidize the construction of private gas pipelines via a tax on our monthly electric bills. The court’s wise decision—together with…
Aug 9
2016
2016
Massachusetts Ignores Public Concerns and Climate Change in Controversial Landfill Decision
Yesterday, Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matthew Beaton decided not to require an environmental impact review for the Wheelabrator ash landfill in Saugus. The decades-old landfill sits next to a municipal solid waste incinerator on the Saugus and Pine Rivers and Bear Creek, located in a legally protected “area of critical environmental concern,”…
Jul 22
2016
2016
Take Action for Clean Energy in Massachusetts
Contact your legislator in support of a strong clean energy future for Massachusetts. How strong is the clean energy bill for Massachusetts? CLF discusses the in a recent teleconference above. Click to watch the video or listen to an audio recording. The clean energy bill is almost over the finish line in Massachusetts – but…