June 30th Roundup: Heat Waves Hit Hard

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BEACON HILL HAPPENINGS

– “Report: Framingham state Rep. Maria Robinson is being vetted for FERC” (Chris Van Buskirk, SHNS via MetroWest Daily News): “State Rep. Maria Robinson, D-Framingham, could be in the running for a federal post that regulates interstate transmission and wholesale sale of electricity, natural gas and oil, according to a media report.” [read the article]

– Rep. Steven Owens pushes bill to shift burden of e-waste on industry (Tim Cronin): Last week (6/22), Rep. Owens (D-Watertown) testified in support of a bill (H.979) he filed seeking to reduce the current burden of electronic waste on municipalities. In a statement shared with the Roundup, Rep. Owens said, “The purpose of this bill is to shift the burden for collection and recycling of computer products from local governments to electronics manufacturers.” In remarks last week to the joint environment committee, Rep. Owens testified that this bill will “incentivize manufacturers to re-design products to be less toxic, more durable, and easier to recycle.” [read more here from Chris Van Buskirk (SHNS, via WWMP)]

– “Massachusetts’ ambitious climate law facing first tests” (Steve LeBlanc, AP): [read the article]

– “Bill Seeks Remedies For Air Pollution Hotspots” (Colin Young, SHNS via WWLP): [read the article]

– “Food Container Bill Spurs Debate Between Lawmakers, Industry” (Colin Young, SHNS via WBUR): [read the article]

– “House introduces bill to compel Harvard to divest of fossil fuels” (Kate Lusignan, Boston Globe): [read the article]

ALL POLICY IS LOCAL

– “Pipeline Protesters Stage Sit In At Enbridge Office In Waltham” (Haley Cornell, Waltham Patch): “Protesters opposing a compressor and pipeline project staged a sit in at the Waltham offices of a Canadian pipeline company responsible for the largest inland oil spill in the US…” [read the article]

– “As Opposition Rallies, Peabody Power Plant Plans Community Forum” (Matt Murphy, State House News Service via Earthwhile): [read the article]

– “Climate: The Problem, The Path, and a Plan for Medfield” (Colleen M. Sullivan, Patch): [read the article]

LOCAL IDEAS

– “Why Massachusetts is in a bind on emissions goals” by Bradley Campbell and Stephan Roundtree, via Boston Globe.

– “How Massachusetts cities and towns are leading our transition to clean energy” by Joe Curtatone, Mayor of Somerville, Kim Driscoll, Mayor of Salem, Joseph Petty, Mayor of Worcester, & Dr. Yvonne Spicer, Mayor of Framingham, via MassLive.

– “Stop sweetheart deals with state utilities” by Rep. Natalie Blais, Sen. Joanne Comerford, and Daniel Sosland, president of the Acadia Center, via Commonwealth Magazine.

– “Mass. needs to prioritize shovel-worthy projects” by Lizzi Weyant and John Stout, via Commonwealth Magazine.

– “Training underway locally to meet offshore wind industry demand for jobs” by Rear Admiral Francis X. McDonald, via Herald News.

– “Facing our climate’s ‘new normal’ with solutions for people and wildlife” by Wendi Weber, via Taunton Daily Gazette.

– “It is time to rethink Wakefield’s participation in new fossil power plant” by Julie Smith-Galvin.

– “Social justice is a key issue in Mass. energy efficiency programs” by Paulina Casasola, climate justice organizer at Clean Water Action MA, via Boston Globe.

2021 CLIMATE

– Data from the recent heat wave reveal troubling trends. These four charts show the damage inflicted (Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe): “In New England’s heatwave early this month — five days of 90 degree-plus heat, the longest June heat wave in nearly a century — peak electricity demand from air conditioning put 36 million extra pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.That’s 3,551 cars driving for a year. Or 18 million pounds of coal burned.

The eye-popping numbers are not necessarily unexpected, but they highlight an alarming phenomenon at work as climate change makes periods of extreme heat more common and prolonged: The warming climate is leading us into a dangerous vicious cycle.” [read the article]

– “Western Massachusetts summers getting longer, hotter” (Ryan Trowbridge and Lena Dziechowski, Western Mass News): [read the article]

LOCAL CLIMATE POLITICS

– “Environmental League targets muni light plants” (Meg McIntyre, Commonwealth Magazine): [read the article]

– “Wu advocates for use of city assets for climate-resilient, affordable housing” (Lauren Bennett, Jamaica Plain Gazette): [read the article]

OUR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT

– “Lawsuit Aims To Protect Cape Cod Waters From ‘Putrid Smells And Unsightly Scums’” (Jesse Remedios, Earthwhile): [read the article]

– “Report: To Protect Plant Diversity, Mass. Should Target ‘Climate Resilient’ Habitats” (Jesse Remedios, Earthwhile): [read the article]

– “New Coral Protections Coming To Areas Off New England” (AP via Earthwhile): [read the article]

– “New Research Unlocks The Mystery Of New England’s Beaches” (UMass Amherst): [read the article]

– “Supporting local beekeepers during Pollinator Week” (Allison Finch, WWLP): [read the article]

THE GREEN ECONOMY, STUPID

– “Harnessing the tides: The future of renewable energy could begin in Cape Cod Canal” (Beth Treffeisen, Cape Cod Times): [read the article]

BUSINESS, CLIMATE

– “Cambridge Launches Energy Efficiency Campaign For Small Businesses” (City of Cambridge): [read the press release]

BUILDING GREEN

– “Medline in Uxbridge to install the largest rooftop solar array in Massachusetts” (Douglas Hook, MassLive): [read the article]

TRANSIT EMISSIONS

– “As car-centric Cape Cod tries to cut emissions, transportation is a challenge” (Sarah Shemkus, Energy News Network): [read the article]

– “Newton has a ways to go in reaching electric vehicle goals” (Brandon Tzou, Boston University journalist, via Boston Globe): [read the article]

– “Massachusetts’ $2.65 Billion Capital Plan Includes Funds for Transportation” (Transport Topics): [read the article]

THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT

–  “Judge denies Exxon Mobil bid to halt Massachusetts climate case (Zack. Budryk, The Hill): [read the article]

THE MASS. CONNECTION

– “How Climate-Proofing Mass Transit Can Make Cities More Equitable” (Leslie Kaufman and Laura Bliss, Bloomberg): [read the article]

– “A crucial campaign in the fight against climate change” (Serge Abergel, iPolitics): [read the article]

INSIDE THE BELTWAY

– “White House Shutdown as Protesters Chain Themselves Across Entrances” (Ewan Palmer, Newsweek): [read the article]

CLIMATE SPOTLIGHT

– “’A positive force’: A New Bedford graduate’s hope for the planet’s future” (Anastasia E. Lennon, Standard-Times): [read the article]

ROUNDUP REDUX

Missed the last CXC Roundup? Here are the top three climate headlines from the previous weeks:

  1. “Muni Matters: PAC Thinking Small with Light Board Endorsements”
  2. “AG Healey Wants Companies to Disclose Financial Risks of Climate Change”
  3. “Hearings begin next week on pollution, local energy bills”

Read the full Roundup here from June 18th, 2021 here.


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Featured Image: Photo by James Day via Unsplash