Conservation Law Foundation filed its groundbreaking lawsuit against ExxonMobil for violations of federal environmental laws and for failing to prepare its Everett terminal to withstand the effects of climate change. CLF’s complaint alleges that ExxonMobil has been aware of the risks climate change poses and has not taken sufficient action — or “failed to design and implement protective measures” — to address them.
“We already know that this know that this kind of pollution is terrible for our upper respiratory system for things like asthma and lung disease,” said Alyssa Rayman-Read, vice president and director of CLF Massachusetts. “Encore and all these different companies have a responsibility to the communities that they’re in not to exacerbate existing public health crises.”
Since the Encore Boston Harbor casino opened its doors in June, residents of Everett, Chelsea, and Malden have been subjected to toxic tailpipe pollution from Encore’s branded vehicles, which consistently idle for more than 20-minute stretches near schools, parks, and homes. CLF has announced our intent to sue Encore and the companies operating its shuttle buses for their illegal idling, continuing our ongoing fight for cleaner air in our communities.
“The casino is a brand-new neighbor, and it’s already wearing out its welcome,” said Alyssa Rayman-Read, Vice President and Director of CLF Massachusetts. “There’s no excuse for shuttle buses sitting in already-vulnerable neighborhoods pumping toxic fumes into the air. These companies must prove that they care about the health of their neighbors and put an end to this dangerous, unlawful idling immediately.”
“The casino is a brand-new neighbor, and it’s already wearing out its welcome,” said Alyssa Rayman-Read, director of CLF Massachusetts. “There’s no excuse for shuttle buses sitting in already vulnerable neighborhoods pumping toxic fumes into the air.”
Polluted runoff is harming our lakes, rivers, streams, and ocean. To solve the stormwater pollution problem, we must address its largest source: the storm sewers of our cities and towns. Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection is proposing a new permit program that will not only limit and control the volume of pollution flowing from the storm sewers in our communities but also require cities and towns to devise plans to prevent that pollution in the first place.
Amy Moses, Rhode Island director of the Conservation Law Foundation, said that at a minimum any regulations in the state must have an enforceable drinking water standard at the lowest possible level for some of the most common PFAS chemicals. But she said it’s not enough to target only a few of the compounds when there are thousands of slightly different variations in the PFAS family.
Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, discusses the organization’s recent report, which showed that many of the Cape’s coastal waterways fail to meet basic water quality standards.
“It’s really unconscionable that the system allows this to continue,” said Caitlin Peale Sloan, also a senior attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation in Boston. “These forever chemicals enter your body, and don’t leave, and they compound. Protecting the public from these chemicals should be an urgent concern.”
Offshore wind is a crucial element of New England’s clean energy future, and Massachusetts has been betting big on this new industry. So despite the Trump administration’s delay of a promising project, Massachusetts is still moving forward with this critical source of local clean energy.
