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BEACON HILL HAPPENINGS
– “Baker pulls plug on Springfield biomass power plant” (Bruce Mohl, Commonwealth Magazine): “THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION pulled the plug on a controversial biomass power plant in Springfield on Friday amid growing pushback from opponents who viewed the burning of wood to produce electricity as a threat to public health and the environment. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection sent a letter to Palmer Renewable Energy telling the company it was revoking its 2012 air plan approval for the 35-megawatt power plant because construction had not commenced within two years of the granting of the permit. The letter also cited “more recent health-related information and the heightened focus on environmental and health impacts on environment justice populations from sources of pollution during the intervening years.” [read Bruce Mohl’s full article here]
– “Massachusetts’s New Climate Law: 5 Reasons to Celebrate!” (Union of Concerned Scientists): [read the article]
– “Old data slows climate change efforts” (Christian M. Wade, Salem News): [read the article]
ALL POLICY IS LOCAL
– “Weymouth Compressor Reports Another ‘Unplanned’ Gas Release. Third Time In 8 Months” (Miriam Wasser, Earthwhile): “On Tuesday morning, the Weymouth Natural Gas Compressor Station released a large quantity of gas into the air above the facility. The cause of the unplanned release remains unclear, but the company that owns and operates the facility, Enbridge, said it’s “continuing to gather information”… This is the third unplanned gas release in the last 8 months. The first — on Sept. 11, 2020 — occurred after an O-ring gasket failed and workers had to manually shut down the compressor. The second — on Sept. 30, 2020 — occurred after the emergency shutdown system loss power and automatically shut itself down. In both cases, the total amount of gas vented turned out to be much higher than initially reported.” [read Miriam Wasser’s full article here]
– “After passing a landmark climate law, Mass. officials now face the hard part: how to wean the state off fossil fuels” (David Abel, Boston Globe): [read the article]
– “Vitolo: With new climate law, the work is only just beginning” (Abby Patkin, Wicked Local): [read the article]
– “Sabadosa files bill to expand public’s say in state logging plans” (Domenic Poli, Daily Hampshire Gazette): [read the article]
LOCAL IDEAS
– “MBTA needs to get on decarbonization train” by Jarred Johnson, via Commonwealth Magazine
– “Massachusetts is a model for bipartisan action on climate laws” by Deb Markowitz, The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts, via MassLive
– “State can lead the renewable energy sector with union labor” by Michael Hess, via Cape Cod Times
– “Massachusetts must pass the 100 Percent Clean Act” by Abigail Farrell and Melissa Chook, MASSPIRG Student Interns, via The Daily Collegian
– “Commentary: Making solar incentives work for low-income Bay Staters” by Nathan Phelps, via Energy News Network
– “Climate change already causing power grid issues” by Kathleen Q. Abernathy and Gordon Van Welie, via Commonwealth Magazine
– “Environmental racism is a legacy of white supremacy” by Daily Free Press
OFFSHORE WIND
– “New Bedford mayor calls offshore wind ‘generational opportunity’” (Bruce Mohl, Commonwealth Magazine): [read the article]
THE GREEN ECONOMY, STUPID
– “Pine Gate Renewables advances 9 MW of Massachusetts cranberry bog solar + storage projects” (Kelsey Misbrener, Solar Power World): [read the article]
– “New England’s solar growth is creating tension over who pays for grid upgrades” (Energy News Network): [read the article]
OUR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT
– “National Report Puts Ipswich River Near Top Of ‘Most Endangered’ List” (Jesse Remedios, Earthwhile): [read the article]
– “Western Mass. Summit And Trail Are Renamed With Native American Input” (AP via Earthwhile): [read the article]
– “The trout bums are waiting” (Billy Baker, Boston Globe): [read the article]
– “Worcester ranks as 2nd snowiest city in US, falls 1.3 inches behind Buffalo for top spot” (Michael Bonner, MassLive): [read the article]
THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT
– “AG reaches stormwater discharge settlement with Amesbury company” (Newburyport News): [read the article]
– “Judge Throws Out Downtown Boston Harbor Development Plan” (CLF): [read the article]
LOCAL CLIMATE POLITICS
– “Peabody gas plant faces opposition” (Christian M. Wade, The Salem News): [read the article]
– “Mass. Gubernatorial Hopeful Downing Outlines Climate Plan” (Josh Landes, WAMC): [read the article]
– “Massachusetts should run entirely on clean energy by 2040, Democratic candidate for governor Ben Downing says” (Matt Murphy, SHNS via MassLive): [read the article]
– “Activists hail Massachusetts law as crucial step on environmental justice” (Paola Rosa-Aquino, The Guardian): [read the article]
BUILDING GREEN
– “Massachusetts stretches green building codes to new heights” (Sneha Ayyagari & Stephen Mushegan, GreenBiz): [read the article]
TRANSIT EMISSIONS
– “Report outlines ways Massachusetts could transform state transportation infrastructure” (Liz Carey, Transportation Today): [read the article]
BUSINESS, CLIMATE
– “Massachusetts Contractors and Developers Back Final Climate Bill” (Scott Van Voorhis, Engineering News Record): [read the article]
– “Major U.S. airlines commit to carbon neutrality by 2050, trade body says” (Reuters): [read the article]
BEYOND THE BAY STATE
– “Major Climate Legislation in Rhode Island nears General Assembly Approval” (Naomi Shimberg, Climate XChange): [read the article]
ROUNDUP REDUX
Missed the last CXC Roundup? Here are the top three climate headlines from the previous weeks:
- With climate bill now law, some policymakers shift focus to implementation
- Massachusetts EJ champion joins White House Panel
- MassCEC Report Details 2020 Clean Energy Industry
Read the full Roundup here from April 2nd, 2021 here.
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