In the face of rapid and irreversible development activity on the waterfront, it’s reassuring that CLF and other advocates are again manning the barricades to ensure a clean harbor’s benefits are enjoyed by all.
Janet Daisley is CLF’s Senior Advisor. Janet’s previous roles at CLF include Chief of Staff, Senior Vice President for Special Projects, and Deputy Director for Healthy and Resilient Communities. Before joining in 2018 she served as Vice President for Programs and Strategy for the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Janet has considerable experience leading cross-sector… Continue reading Janet Daisley
The Cape is facing a massive pollution problem because of nitrogen pollution from from septic and wastewater treatment systems. In an effort to curb this toxic pollution, CLF has announced our intention to sue the Wychmere Beach Club and Wequassett Resort and Golf Club for violating the Clean Water Act.
“Nitrogen pollution has disastrous effects on the plant and animal life that live in these beautiful waterways,” said Chris Kilian, Vice President of Strategic Litigation at CLF. “This type of pollution is also harmful to the people who flock to Pleasant Bay and Wychmere Harbor for water sports and other recreational activities. It’s time we hold large polluters responsible for their destructive impacts on our environment.”
“Both the public at large and the appeal of Boston’s waterfront come out ahead when waterfront plans include ample public spaces and impose reasonable limits to height and density, as current law requires,” said Bradley Campbell, president of Conservation Law Foundation. “In this plan, the city allowed the dictates of developers to trump the rules, and the state in turn blessed the city’s approach with tortured reasoning, justifications, and trade-offs that were never even part of the public process. CLF will ask the courts to declare this plan unlawful, and end the pattern and practice of shortchanging the public trust.”
In 2014, the Commonwealth’s groundbreaking climate change law, the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), was gathering dust as the State missed key deadlines for putting in place required regulations to cut its greenhouse gas emissions. CLF decided to fight for full implementation.
The Conservation Law Foundation filed notice that it will challenge the plan in court, saying that it violates state law by giving developers the right to build too much along a key stretch of Boston Harbor while requiring too few public benefits in return.
“These developers have failed to comply with water pollution control programs as they have rolled out the largest development plan ever conceived in Massachusetts,” said Christopher Kilian, Vice President of Strategic Litigation at CLF. “The discharge of harmful pollutants from this site is degrading the Nashua River and putting the health and safety of nearby residents at risk. The owners of the site have ignored the law, and it’s time they are held accountable.”
“Chronic underfunding of mass transportation leaves Massachusetts residents literally stranded,” said Alyssa Rayman-Read, Vice President and Director of CLF Massachusetts. “The Commonwealth can and should have a world-class transportation system that supports economic growth while reducing congestion and pollution. Without a clear revenue stream for transportation on the ballot, our elected officials must now come up with a comprehensive approach to funding.”
The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument holds a special place in my heart. This monument, designated by President Obama in 2016, protects crucial marine habitats for incredible species, from whales to corals, along the edge of the New England continental shelf. The monument encompasses four seamounts and three underwater canyons just 130 miles… Continue reading The Science of Conserving the Canyons and Seamounts
