“The last thing the asthma capital of the U.S. needs is a plant spewing air pollution and further imperiling public health,” said Caitlin Peale Sloan, Interim Director of CLF Massachusetts. “Springfield residents made their opposition to this polluting plant clear, and DEP officials have handed them a win today. The fact is that burning biomass is neither clean nor renewable and it should be left in the past with fossil fuels.”
To be environmentalists – to stand up for healthy communities for all people across New England – we must be anti-racist. We cannot, and will not, be silent.
The heart of environmental justice is ensuring that we all have equal access to power when it comes to decisions that directly affect our lives. CLF connected with two of our Massachusetts-based partners to talk about their vision for a community where residents feel empowered to shape the future, and what it would mean for environmental and climate protections to be just.
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.
Early announcements from the new administration give reason for optimism and could help us leave a healthy ocean for future generations. The emphasis on conserving protected ocean areas like the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts means the ocean has a shot at recovering from the damage humans have inflicted.
Biden’s flurry of executive orders addressing climate change, conservation, and environmental justice has us optimistic. Now we must ensure his administration follows through and turns these orders into meaningful and actionable policy.
As the first project funded by CLF’s Healthy Neighborhoods Fund, Chelsea Flats showcases inclusive and sustainable development.
“Without strong action now, the climate crisis will devastate our communities, amplify injustice, and destroy ecosystems essential to human survival,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “President Biden is ushering in a new era for climate and environmental justice by prioritizing the needs of communities that have long borne the brunt of pollution and poor health. Conserving 30 percent of our lands and ocean will also allow thriving ecosystems to protect human and natural communities from climate changes already on the way. Today’s announcements are a welcome break from four years of all-out assaults on our environment.”
Massachusetts legislators overwhelmingly passed critical climate and justice legislation. But Governor Baker vetoed the bill – choosing not only to ignore sound science, but also to let decades of racist policy targeting low-income, Black, and Brown communities go unchallenged.
