CLF’s Zero Waste program has identified eight New England landfills that want dangerous expansions, a surefire way to increase the pollution they emit into the air, soil, and water. We’re working to stop them from expanding.
All landfills leak – some over time and some from day one of operation – leaching toxic chemicals into the ground and the water supply. Despite state and federal regulation, landfills are harming the health and environment of communities in New England.
We are at a defining moment in the effort to avert the threat of climate catastrophe. President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord has put the United States on the wrong side of history. With renewed urgency, CLF is escalating our work to develop legally binding climate laws, like the one we helped create and enforce here in Massachusetts, in every New England state.
President Trump’s EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, is on a crusade to pollute our air by rolling back important rules that keep New England – and the rest of the U.S. – safe from dangerous emissions. But in his rush to shut down important rules that protect our air, water, and health, Pruitt has started cutting… Continue reading CLF Takes EPA to Court for Allowing Landfills to Pollute
Last night, residents of the central Massachusetts town of Southbridge delivered a major and unexpected blow to Casella Waste when they voted overwhelmingly to reject plans to expand the town’s landfill, which the company has operated for about fourteen years.
Remember how they finally put Al Capone in jail? He was a powerful, well-connected gangster who was willing to intimidate and bully anyone in his way. The feds couldn’t convict him for any of his most egregious offenses – murder, smuggling alcohol, or organized crime – but they finally convicted and imprisoned him for eleven years… Continue reading Victory: Southbridge Landfill Ordered to Close All Operations in Charlton Due to Zoning Law Violation
CLF Launches Zero-Waste Project to Tackle Massachusetts’s Trash Problem On a Monday night in February, more than 100 people crowded into the Sturbridge, Massachusetts, town hall for an emergency meeting of the town’s Board of Health. Nineteen wells in the Sturbridge neighborhood closest to the massive Southbridge Landfill had just tested high for lead –… Continue reading Talking Trash
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
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.
