Massachusetts faces a host of environmental and public health challenges that will likely take years to solve. But one problem we can clearly solve in the near term is the amount of waste we discard that should be reduced, composted, or recycled.
“The Department of Environmental Services is completely abdicating their responsibility to address out-of-state waste,” said Heidi Trimarco, an attorney with CLF New Hampshire. “DES should be committing to do something, anything about out-of-state waste.”
“After DES blatantly ignored the law requiring an updated waste plan, any progress is a step in the right direction,” said CLF New Hampshire attorney Heidi Trimarco. “But this draft plan is inadequate and uninspiring. Instead of demonstrating leadership and providing the guidance New Hampshire needs, DES has provided just a laundry list of recommendations, without any real steps to actually achieve them.”
Oh, this is certainly a big deal. It gives a major boost to offshore wind, both in terms of some technical ways, like removing the price cap, but also changing the process of selection, so the major utilities aren’t deeply, essentially, controlling the process. There was kind of a fox in the henhouse design of the earlier law.
“So-called ‘advanced recycling’ really isn’t recycling at all,” said Tom Irwin, CLF vice president for New Hampshire. “It’s expensive, high-heat technology that effectively burns plastic waste, creating dangerous air pollution. And with Governor Sununu and the Legislature rolling out the welcome mat for ‘advanced recycling’ – making New Hampshire a magnet for these facilities and out-of-state plastics waste – it’s essential that regulators have all the necessary tools to protect the health of our communities.”
The way we grow our food has a big impact on our climate. Changing how we farm can help our climate rather than harm it.
Regenerative farmers can play a role in combatting the climate crisis. However, if more farmers are to transition to climate-smart regenerative agriculture, they need sufficient technical and financial support.
“This new law takes some great steps on biomass and offshore wind, but it’s sorely lacking when it comes to environmental justice,” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at CLF. “For too long, these communities have been overburdened and overlooked when it comes to air quality, access to transit, and toxic pollution. We need to put a much larger focus on protecting EJ neighborhoods and phasing out fossil fuels once and for all when the legislature reconvenes.”
Clear communication goes a long way in helping people adjust to these inconveniences. It’s also time to dedicate the funding and staffing needed to repair our transit system today and stop kicking the can down the road.
CLF’s forceful advocacy paid off in this year’s Rhode Island legislative session with laws passed to help our climate, stop plastic pollution, and safeguard our drinking water from toxic chemicals.
