CLF president Bradley Campbell said in a statement that its settlement with Exxon “should put operators of similar climate-vulnerable facilities on notice that they cannot turn a blind eye to the extreme weather dangers driven by climate change.”
The Massachusetts Land Court ruled that a building permit issued in 2011 to Palmer Renewable Energy has long expired, dealing a blow to plans for a $150 million, 35-megawatt wood-burning power plant long planned for East Springfield. The project was opposed by the state’s U.S. senators, the community and environmental groups.
The Conservation Law Foundation reached an agreement with Schnitzer Steel over heavy metal pollution going into the water in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico
“It’s about time this multi-billion-dollar company complied with the law,” Conservation Law Foundation Attorney Chelsea Kendall said in a statement Monday. “Toxic runoff from Schnitzer’s facilities has been contaminating waters that people depend on for drinking and recreation. This $2 million settlement will go a long way towards cleaning up these rivers and ensuring the company ends this harmful pollution.”
We’ve just seen the planet’s hottest summer. Torrential rains and flooding have cost billions and threatened lives in Vermont and Massachusetts. Ocean waters off our coast are heating more rapidly than any in North America, and wildfires have given us sore throats, dirty air, and brown skies. We need to do better. The ISO needs to pursue rapid change — now.
“While Shell tries every trick in the book to avoid coming clean about its involvement in the climate crisis, our community is in danger,” said Darrèll Brown, vice president of CLF Rhode Island.
One source of pollution that probably won’t come up is homes and buildings. But in 2020, burning oil, propane, and gas for space and water heating generated close to a quarter of Connecticut’s smog-forming pollution. That’s eight times more than power plants.
Thankfully, there’s a solution that slashes climate-damaging emissions, saves lives and protects the businesses that rely on these vehicles. The Advanced Clean Trucks rule will never rush a clean vehicle into a job that it’s not ready for. And it will never force a Maine business to purchase a particular vehicle. Instead, it sets a standard for manufacturers.
For those on the ground, the project will address disparities they’ve long observed. Arnold Mikolo is an environmental justice advocate with the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental advocacy group partnering with the city on the tree planting project. He’s been speaking with residents to gather their feedback and concerns about environmental issues in the center city communities. “One of the main things they said was, ‘This neighborhood is really hot,’” Mikolo said.
The Nylon Corporation of America has settled a lawsuit with the Conservation Law Foundation over alleged Clean Water Act violations in New Hampshire. CLF says Nylon Corporation polluted the Merrimack River with acidic wastewater, zinc, and high temperatures coming out of their manufacturing facility in Manchester.
