COP27 demonstrated once again that in the absence of leadership and accountability, good intentions on climate are no match for the power wielded by the fossil fuel industry.
“Burning wood for electricity is a bad idea to begin with, and building a biomass plant in a residential neighborhood is just evil,” said Johannes Epke, an attorney at environmental nonprofit Conservation Law Foundation, an opponent of the plant.
“Burning wood for electricity is a bad idea to begin with and building a biomass plant in a residential neighborhood is just evil,” said Johannes Epke, Staff Attorney at CLF. “The Department of Environmental Protection was right to revoke this permit the first time around, and the appeals office has made the right call today. We will continue our piece of this fight to protect air quality in Springfield by representing the City Council in Land Court in opposition to this facility.”
“The fact is that the community overwhelmingly opposes the construction of this substation, and state laws regarding the siting of this facility have been ignored,” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at CLF. “The Siting Board’s decision contributes to the inequitable distribution of environmental burdens and benefits and disregards East Boston residents’ voices. We’ll continue to partner with the community to challenge this facility.”
The 2022 midterms captured national headlines for weeks. We asked CLF experts how the results will impact climate action and environmental justice in New England.
“It’s long past time for residents of Somerville and Medford to have access to reliable rapid transit,” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at CLF. “While the December opening date is past the late November promise the T made, we’re excited to finally see the full Green Line Extension open soon. We’ll be holding the T accountable to make sure there are no more delays to this project that has spanned decades.”
“We’ll say it again: there is simply no need for this landfill,” said CLF staff attorney Heidi Trimarco. “The Waste Management Council has made it clear yet again that the state cannot permit new landfills that aren’t needed to satisfy New Hampshire’s disposal needs. It’s time for Casella to give up this fight and be a partner in reducing waste through recycling and composting.”
Restoring nature is one of the best tools we have for tackling the climate crisis. That means we all have a stake in protecting our wetlands and coastal ecosystems.
“This bill is a thinly veiled attempt to shut out community input and roll back bedrock environmental protections like the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act — effectively green-lighting scores of bad fossil fuel projects and stymying the just and clean energy transition President Biden says he supports,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell.
“All landfills eventually leak. While we ultimately need to move away from burying our waste, we need to make sure landfills are safe for New Hampshire in the meantime,” said Tom Irwin, Vice President CLF New Hampshire.
