Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s first White House chief of staff, was once quoted as saying “You never want to let a serious crisis go to waste,” referring to the opportunities to pass sweeping bills in the wake of the 2008 financial meltdown. Over the past weeks, we’ve seen that sentiment put into practice by some…
Oct 3
2014
2014
Sep 9
2014
2014
An Incomplete Guide to the Massachusetts Ballot: If the Question is One, the Answer is NO.
As Massachusetts voters look to the November ballot, they have an opportunity to take a stand for a better, sustainable transportation system by voting No on Question 1. This first of four questions on the ballot would eliminate indexing of the gas tax to inflation, a development that would simply be bad for the environment.…
Mar 20
2014
2014
Transportation for Massachusetts Coalition Releases Progress Report on Transportation Finance Act of 2013
A new report released today by Transportation for Massachusetts and co-authored by CLF Staff Attorney Rafael Mares evaluates the implementation of the Transportation Finance Act of 2013 since its passage last July. The report is the first in a series of planned progress reports aimed at ensuring the new law’s success at addressing the most…
Feb 18
2014
2014
Groundbreaking Settlement Reached on Salem Natural Gas Facility
In a groundbreaking settlement with Footprint Power on its proposed natural gas facility in Salem, MA, the plant developers agreed to emissions limits and a future shutdown date to comply with Massachusetts mandates. The settlement ensures that, for the first time ever, a proposed natural-gas-fired plant must comply with conditions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and…
Feb 5
2014
2014
Sensible Thoughts About the Proposed Salem MA Gas-Fired Power Plant
The editorial page of the Boston Globe today weighed in on the natural gas-fired power plant that a New Jersey–based company (Footprint Power) is seeking to build in Salem, Massachusetts. The whole editorial is well worth reading – but the final three paragraphs are particularly striking: Footprint CEO Peter Furniss says the plant will start…
Feb 4
2014
2014
Farm to Fork… to Farm: Patrick Administration Announces Ban on Food Waste Disposal
Peer into a dumpster outside of a large supermarket in the state of Massachusetts today and you’ll realize the overwhelming amount of food that enters the waste stream every day. Some of it shouldn’t be headed for landfills in the first place – 25 percent of the total waste (think cardboard or food) could be salvaged…
Jan 28
2014
2014
Dismantling the Latest Legal Delays in the Fight for Cape Wind
The new year has brought more of the same when it comes to the decade-long battle over the Cape Wind offshore wind energy project proposed to be built in federal waters off the coast of Massachusetts. While Europe continues to leap forward with deployment of offshore wind – tapping into this resource’s unparalleled capacity to…
Nov 13
2013
2013
Keenan’s Poison Pill Seeks to Exempt Salem Gas Plant from Permitting Process
What would you sacrifice to have a power plant built in your backyard? Apparently, for Representative John D. Keenan of Salem, MA, the answer is just about anything. Representative Keenan is no stranger to handing out (or at least trying to hand out) sweetheart deals to power plant owners, but his latest attempt to get a…
Sep 25
2013
2013
The Good, the Hopeful and the Ugly: Clean Energy in America and New England in the Fall of 2013
First, the good: There’s some good news to report: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of Connecticut are well on the way to implementing key provisions in the clean energy laws that CLF helped craft. These provisions ensure that for years to come the residents of both states will enjoy the benefit of clean…
Jun 18
2013
2013
Boston Community Process for Urban Agriculture Rezoning Underway
Since I last checked in, the comment period for Article 89 in Boston began and is now well underway. Article 89 is a proposed new section of the Boston zoning code that encourages and creates opportunities for commercial urban agriculture citywide. This is an important first step to expanding urban agriculture, and CLF is excited about…