“After waiting 30 years, this is a historic day for communities that depend on the MBTA,” said CLF President Brad Campbell. “The long-delayed Green Line extension will finally unlock reliable rapid transit for thousands of people in Medford and Somerville. CLF will be continuing to push for the expansion of the Medford branch to Route 16 to bring access to even more residents in the coming years.”
The Green Line extension to Medford is finally here. Today, after 8 years of delays, a new branch of the Green Line – consisting of five stations reaching out into Medford – opened its doors to riders.
“We can’t burn our way out of this problem,” said Caitlin Peale Sloan, Vice President of CLF Massachusetts. “Burning oil and gas in our homes pollutes our air and worsens the effects of the climate crisis. The commission’s report is absolutely correct: we need to start planning now for a cleaner future without gas, whether it’s fossil gas or alternative methane gases.”
“Burning wood for electricity is a bad idea to begin with and building a biomass plant in a residential neighborhood is just evil,” said Johannes Epke, Staff Attorney at CLF. “The Department of Environmental Protection was right to revoke this permit the first time around, and the appeals office has made the right call today. We will continue our piece of this fight to protect air quality in Springfield by representing the City Council in Land Court in opposition to this facility.”
“The fact is that the community overwhelmingly opposes the construction of this substation, and state laws regarding the siting of this facility have been ignored,” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at CLF. “The Siting Board’s decision contributes to the inequitable distribution of environmental burdens and benefits and disregards East Boston residents’ voices. We’ll continue to partner with the community to challenge this facility.”
“Urban communities suffer disproportionately from toxic, polluted air,” said Heather Govern, Director of CLF’s Clean Air and Water program. “Holyoke and Worcester are two of the cities most burdened by negative health impacts like asthma because of this type of pollution. Durham School Services must own up to its role in this problem, stop violating anti-idling laws, and commit to reducing pollution from its buses.”
“It’s long past time for residents of Somerville and Medford to have access to reliable rapid transit,” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at CLF. “While the December opening date is past the late November promise the T made, we’re excited to finally see the full Green Line Extension open soon. We’ll be holding the T accountable to make sure there are no more delays to this project that has spanned decades.”
“These iconic rivers are suffering because of the EPA’s consistent foot-dragging,” said Heather Govern, CLF’s Vice President of Clean Air and Water. “Despite all the evidence linking stormwater pollution to dirty and unsafe water, the agency has failed to take legally required steps to address this growing problem. We have waited over three years for them to regulate the pollution, and these rivers cannot wait any longer.”
“Septic pollution is driving Cape Cod’s waters to disaster,” said Christopher Kilian, Vice President of Strategic Litigation at CLF. “The state has finally taken this concern seriously, but we will be reviewing the proposal to assure that it is strong and effective in solving this problem. Toxic nitrogen pollution destroys our waters, sickens people, and threatens the region’s tourism economy, and it has no place in Cape Cod’s waters.”
“Widespread gentrification and neighborhood changes are clearly impacting the health of longtime residents,” said Reann Gibson, an HNS Research Scientist at Conservation Law Foundation (CLF). “Decades of redlining and racism have affected communities of color, and now gentrifying development is threatening these neighborhoods all over again. The study’s findings are yet one more reason why people must have power over the changes that could profoundly alter their communities.”
