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BEACON HILL HAPPENINGS
– “Massachusetts should be proud”: state gets green light for first large-scale offshore wind farm in U.S. (Christian Morris): This week (5/11), Vineyard Wind’s long-delayed offshore wind farm received the official go-ahead from the Biden-Harris administration’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The project will construct 800 megawatts worth of wind energy — which is enough to power 400,000 homes and will reduce Massachusetts’ annual carbon emissions by over a million tons. The first of its kind in the U.S., the project marks a historic milestone for the wind energy industry. The project is slated to be completed by 2023.
At an event on Tuesday Vineyard Wind CEO Lars T. Pedersen said, “Today’s Record of Decision is not about the start of a single project, but the launch of a new industry.” Governor Baker echoed this excitement, in a statement saying, “Massachusetts should be proud that this decision launches the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project here on the Commonwealth’s shores.”
State lawmakers also chimed in, with House Speaker Mariano emphasizing how the project will “boost our economy, reduce electricity rates, and create jobs.” He went on to talk about how, “the House will continue to prioritize making Massachusetts a regional hub of the offshore wind industry, and most recently included a $10 million investment in the House budget to train the workforce that will fuel the offshore wind energy boom.”
– “Airport speaks out against pending climate bill” (Lucas Thors, MV Times): [read the article]
ALL POLICY IS LOCAL
– “Proposed Natural Gas Plant In Peabody On Hold, For Now” (Barbara Moran, WBUR): [read the article]
– “A Climate Resilient Community In Newburyport Rises From Toxic Ashes” (Bruce Gellerman, WBUR): [read the article]
– “Beverly, Salem planning participation in Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program” (Wicked Local): [read the article]
– “’America’s leader in offshore wind’: What Vineyard Wind final approval means for New Bedford” (Anastasia E. Lennon, Standard Times): [read the article]
– “Massachusetts Port Authority revisiting climate action plans” (Colin A. Young State House News Service, via Gloucester Daily Times): [read the article]
LOCAL IDEAS
– “Green infrastructure is critical to our future” by Senator Edward J. Markey, via MassLive
– “A new vision for transportation” by Frederick Salvucci and James Aloisi, via The Boston Globe
– “New building construction must be affordable while incorporating energy efficient construction, technology and innovation to meet current carbon emissions standards” by John Fish, via MassLive
OUR ENVIRONMENT
– “A local nonprofit promised to preserve wildlife. Then it made millions claiming it could cut down trees.”(Lisa Song and James Temple, ProPublica and MIT Technology Review, via Patriot Ledger): [read the article]
FOSSIL FOOLS
– Eversource Attempts to Highlight the “Wonders” of Natural Gas in Cambridge School(Christian Morris): A Massachusetts resident recently shared on twitter (see above) a small collection of Eversource-funded booklets aimed to teach children about the importance of natural gas. The booklets, one titled “Natural Gas: Your Invisible Friend,” illustrate the benefits of natural gas and how critical they are to everyday life. What they don’t include, however, is the nasty pollution spewed while burning these climate-warming gases or the impact fossil fuels have on our climatic and ecological systems. The story was picked up by local and national news and forced Eversource and the Cambridge public school system into hot water.
Cambridge school officials claim that the distribution of the booklets was a mistake, citing a practiced review process that is executed for external materials sent to the school. [read more]
TRANSIT EMISSIONS
– “$1,000 Landing Fee Proposed For Massachusetts Private Aircraft”(Russ Niles, AV Web): [read the article]
– “Massachusetts Port Authority revisiting climate action plans”(Colin A. Young, SHNS via Gloucester Times): [read the article]
– “Drivers in Wellesley to face fines for idling”(WCVB): [read the article]
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
– “Study Predicts ‘Rapid And Unstoppable’ Antarctic Ice Melt If Paris Targets Missed”(Barbara Moran, Earthwhile): [read the article]
– “A Nonprofit Promised to Preserve Wildlife. Then It Made Millions Claiming It Could Cut Down Trees.”(Lisa Song and James Temple, ProPublica): [read the article]
INSIDE THE BELTWAY
– “Two Years Later, Legislators Reintroduce Green New Deal Bills” (Noa Dalzell, Climate XChange): [read the article]
BEYOND THE BAYSTATE
– “Resource Colonialism: Land-Grabbing and Pollution in Indigenous Nations Located Within Arizona” (Ania Ty, Climate XChange): [read the article]
– “New Jersey Adopts Climate Change As Part Of Core Curriculum In All Public Schools”(Tonya Mosley, WBUR): [read the article]
CLIMATE SPOTLIGHT
– “SCPN Spotlight: Joe Wachunas on Electrifying Rural Communities and Finding Your Purpose in the Environmental Movement”(Zac Pinard, Climate XChange): [read the article]
SAVE THE DATE!
– Climate XChange: “Investing in a Better Massachusetts: An Analysis of Job Creation and Community Benefits from Green Investments”: Climate XChange is releasing new research on job creation and community benefits from climate and green investments in Massachusetts. [Register]
ROUNDUP REDUX
Missed the last CXC Roundup? Here are the top three climate headlines from the previous weeks:
- “Gov. Baker announces Executive Actions on Earth Day 2021″
- “New Tool Aims to Examine Climate Risks and Build Resilience in Construction”
- “Air Quality in Massachusetts Was Improving, Even Before Pandemic”
Read the full Roundup here from May 6th, 2021 here.
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