The Massachusetts state legislature is considering a bill that would ban plastic bags across the Commonwealth. More than 80 cities and towns in the state have already ousted this plastic pollution from their communities – now our legislature can standardize this practice by enacting a ban statewide.
All landfills leak – some over time and some from day one of operation – leaching toxic chemicals into the ground and the water supply. Despite state and federal regulation, landfills are harming the health and environment of communities in New England.
Let’s be clear: CLF doesn’t want to stop thoughtful, responsible development – it is just the opposite. We believe these plans must be made with full public input and with public rights as the guiding principle, not just the trailing afterthought.
A pilot program could turn the Fairmount commuter rail line into the “Indigo Line,” making it run more like the region’s other subway lines. It would improve public transit for communities along the route, including Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, and Roxbury, which have traditionally been underserved by the MBTA.
If we’re not careful, Boston Harbor will be walled off to those of us who are not wealthy and powerful, even though we have laws and regulations put in place to protect us. Today, CLF is taking action to ensure that the city and state cannot get away with putting private developers’ interests ahead of the public when it comes to these precious public assets.
Scott Soares has seen the opportunities and challenges facing New England’s farmers and food businesses firsthand. He served as Massachusetts’s first aquaculture coordinator in 1996 and was later appointed state agriculture commissioner by Deval Patrick. In 2012, he became executive director of the Cranberry Marketing Committee, which gave him inside look at the branding and… Continue reading Helping Farmers and Food Businesses Navigate New Opportunities
“We need to reduce our waste instead of looking for more places to bury it,” said Tom Irwin, Vice President and Director of CLF New Hampshire. “Waste Management is dumping about a million and a half tons of waste per year into the Turnkey landfill, putting nearby communities and waterways at risk. It’s time for the state to stop undermining waste reduction efforts by expanding landfills and instead focus on zero waste strategies that treat waste as a resource.”
“This plan unlawfully puts the interests of developers ahead of the public’s rights on the waterfront,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “Approval of this plan not only violates decades-old laws governing the waterfront, but also sets a dangerous precedent by signaling to developers that they can buy their way out of rules that have balanced public and private development interests for years. The state must stop disregarding the public’s rights when it comes to waterfront development.”
“Without clear information about what is safe to eat, people in the Lower Mystic River Watershed area are at risk,” said Alyssa Rayman-Read, vice president and director of CLF Massachusetts. “The advisory will ensure that people have the information needed to safely fish in the area. This kind of public-nonprofit collaboration should be a model for working on important environmental issues.”
Big changes are underway that will affect how Massachusetts residents get around. Companies are racing to bring autonomous vehicles to the market as quickly as possible. Self-driving vehicles are already on the streets in Boston’s Seaport District for testing purposes. We can expect them in more regular use as early as 2020 and widely available… Continue reading How Autonomous Vehicles Will Drive Our Budgets
