For decades, low-income, immigrant, and communities of color across New England have been overburdened by air pollution from power plants, congested highways, and industrial facilities. CLF connected with two of our Massachusetts-based partners to discuss what needs to change to relieve these burdens and how racism contributes to environmental justice inequities.
Any plan to lower emissions in Massachusetts must not only consider how to cut the largest sources of carbon pollution – for the Commonwealth, that’s transportation and heating – but also how to ensure all residents have equal access to its solutions.
New England is no stranger to ice storms, of course, and the Texas power grid is very different from ours. But we can still heed lessons from the Texas crisis – especially as we look at the future pressures our grid will face because of our changing climate.
Cambridge partnered with a local composter in 2018 to start a curbside compost program. But as more residents signed-up, the volume of food scraps increased. Cambridge accommodated the growth by finding a new partner. It signed with Waste Management – a partnership that has put the City’s food scraps to waste.
“We’re experiencing heavier snow loads and precipitation coming in much quicker bursts,” said CLF’s Deanna Moran. “So how is that going to affect distribution lines? What does that mean for trees falling and taking down distribution lines and poles?”
Is the systemic idea of Zero Waste actually possible? Yes! But to do so, we need to stop looking at Zero Waste as just a lifestyle and start looking at it as a strategic concept for managing our waste – and tackling the trash crisis.
“This settlement means the owners of the Devens site are addressing stormwater pollution at Devens in compliance with the Clean Water Act,” said Christopher Kilian, Vice President of Strategic Litigation at CLF. “MassDevelopment now has a legally enforceable permit that ensures it will follow Clean Water Act pollution requirements. MassDevelopment’s and Devens Enterprise Commission’s commitment to green improvements to the site’s stormwater system will result in a healthier Nashua River and surrounding waters.”
Climate change is “going to put our power infrastructure in a more vulnerable situation. And that jeopardizes reliable service for thousands of Massachusetts residents, which affects not only the cost that they pay in rates, but also their health and safety,” says Deanna Moran, Director of Environmental Planning at the Conservation Law Foundation.
“The tragedy in Texas is just the latest example of the climate crisis threatening critical infrastructure and endangering lives,” said Deanna Moran, Director of Environmental Planning at CLF. “To protect the public from these catastrophic impacts, investor-owned utilities must prepare for extreme temperatures, extreme precipitation, storms, and sea-level rise now. Taking the right steps now will avoid disaster down the road.”
“Approving the construction of this substation is a slap in the face to the East Boston community,” said CLF staff attorney Erica Kyzmir-McKeon. “State officials did everything they could to silence community input on this project, calling necessary translation services ‘disruptive.’ This project will impact the neighborhood for decades to come and it never should have been approved.”
