“If signed by the governor, this bill would restore Massachusetts’s national leadership in addressing climate change, and the disproportionate impact of pollution on Black, brown, and other environmental justice communities in the state,” said Caitlin Peale Sloan, acting director of the Conservation Law Foundation in Massachusetts
“Massachusetts needs to commit to significant changes if we’re going to reach the 2050 emissions limits required by law,” said Caitlin Peale Sloan, Interim Director of CLF Massachusetts. “The people who will be affected most by the climate crisis, including Black and Brown communities and low-income households, must be part of the process, and it’s a great step forward that officials plan to do just that. We will be holding our leaders accountable for sticking to the goals laid out in this plan because it’s time to get to work.”
This past year was one of the most challenging our country has faced in many of our lifetimes. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the summer’s protests against police violence have forced deep, damaging inequities in our society out into the light of day. Now, as we start the new year, it’s up to all of us to ensure they not only stay there but that we actively work to redress them.
Our electricity grid was designed over 100 years ago. But times have changed. Today, we can harness clean, renewable energy right where we live. But we have to update our electric grid to take advantage of it.
“These proposed regulations are a big step in the right direction,” said Erica Fuller, a senior attorney at the Boston-based Conservation Law Foundation, one of several groups that has sued the Fisheries Service to protect the whales. “But in light of the fact that Massachusetts waters have the highest known seasonal density of right whales in the world, a long-term solution that allows fishing and right whales to coexist is imperative.”
“Slashing these critical services will be catastrophic for communities that depend on public transit,” said Staci Rubin, Senior Attorney at CLF. “It’s senseless to cut services that essential workers depend on each day while COVID continues to rage. These cuts are not as bad as originally proposed, but they will nevertheless upend the lives of thousands of people, set the state back in reaching our climate goals, and hinder economic recovery after the pandemic.”
“People who depend on the bus are constantly delayed as the Tobin is inundated with single-occupancy cars. This new lane will slash those travel times benefiting Chelsea residents and workers,” Staci Rubin, an attorney at the foundation, said in a statement Friday.
“Not only have we lost 10 years of opportunities to clean these waters up, we have in fact made the problem significantly worse by allowing new systems to come into these waterways that are already terribly degraded,” said Chris Kilian, Vice President of Strategic Litigation at CLF.
“It’s time to stop pandering to car travel at the expense of public transit,” said Staci Rubin, Senior Attorney at CLF. “People who depend on the bus are constantly delayed as the Tobin is inundated with single-occupancy cars. This new lane will slash those travel times benefiting Chelsea residents and workers. Making public transportation faster and more reliable is a key strategy to relieve the gridlock that has plagued our region.”
“Stormwater pollution is devastating waters across Massachusetts,” said Heather Govern, Director of CLF’s Clean Air and Water program. “Cities and towns are responsible for curbing this pollution but many have failed for years. This permit’s issuance should jumpstart vital stormwater controls and bring us one step closer to clean water across the state.”
