Feb 21, 2017
“The Boston waterfront is a public treasure, an engine of tourism and a hub of economic growth, but it all collapses when we neglect our communal right to this resource,” said CLF senior counsel Peter Shelley. “The public has invested well over fifteen billion dollars in the harbor cleanup and waterfront improvements and has a protected privilege to enjoy the benefits of these investments. By approving a luxury residential scheme that essentially privatizes a public resource, the Baker Administration is corrupting a longstanding process designed to protect public interest. The minute we prioritize individual development goals over the public good, we start down a slippery slope that could spell disaster for our communities and our harbor.”
Feb 17, 2017
Scott Pruitt is more than just a threat to our environment – he’s a threat to our economy, our safety, and our entire way of life. The stakes are too high to stand idly by. CLF is ready for the fight.
Feb 17, 2017
On Monday night, more than 100 people from the south-central Massachusetts towns of Sturbridge, Charlton, and Southbridge turned out for an emergency meeting of the Sturbridge Board of Health. They came to express their anger to the Regional Director of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) that the 19 home wells in the Sturbridge neighborhood… Continue reading Citizen Action Turns the Tide on Massive Landfill Expansion in Southbridge
Feb 16, 2017
For three years now, Big Gas has been spinning tall tales aimed at scaring you and me – and especially our local politicans – into locking in our addiction to dirty, polluting natural gas for decades to come. But their hype ignores the facts and the very real progress made over the past few years to avoid price spikes, keep the lights on, and tamp down our emissions of climate-damaging pollution.
Feb 15, 2017
Saugus Town Meeting members have sent a clear message to companies with facilities that pose a danger to public health and the environment: there must be reasonable limits. Last week, Town Meeting voted to approve amendments to Saugus’s zoning by-laws that limit the height of all landfills within the town to 50 feet. In addition… Continue reading Massachusetts Town Moves to Stop Unrestricted Landfill Expansions
Feb 15, 2017
Two recent developments have renewed momentum for positive change to environmental justice laws and policies in Massachusetts. First, the State released a long-awaited update to its Environmental Justice Policy – fifteen years after it first issued the policy, and two years after a mandatory deadline for updating it. And, second, a new bill introduced in… Continue reading Massachusetts Updates Environmental Justice Policy, But Leaves Room for Improvement
Feb 14, 2017
I can still remember the conversation vividly. It was February of 2008 and my brother was calling to beseech me to represent a group of citizens to oppose the expansion of the Southbridge Landfill. I have to admit, I was skeptical about his concerns. This was the brother with all the ideas I sometimes wish… Continue reading Why the Zero Waste Project? Protecting My Family and Yours.
Feb 10, 2017
The Transportation for Massachusetts coalition – of which CLF is a member – today released the latest in a series of reports evaluating the implementation of the Commonwealth’s landmark Transportation Finance Act of 2013. The Keeping on Track reports are aimed at ensuring the new law’s success at addressing the most pressing needs of the… Continue reading Latest Report on Massachusetts Transportation Financing Finds Progress, But Much More to Do
Feb 02, 2017
“The Baker Administration is now fully complicit in Mayor Walsh’s unlawful effort to enrich a favored developer using public resources,” said CLF President Bradley M. Campbell. “CLF will now turn to the courts to enforce well-established law and ask the Attorney General to fulfill her duty to protect the public trust. Meanwhile, the City’s unwillingness to stand up for the true stewards of our waterfront – the people of Massachusetts – will again delay needed improvements to this treasured public resource.”
Jan 27, 2017
Last week we learned that former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Perdue, educated as a veterinarian and the son of a farmer, spent much of his career in business, including running a garden supplies company, shipping operation, and a fertilizer and grain company. In announcing the nomination,… Continue reading Sonny Perdue: What Will You Do for New England’s Farmers?