“The U.S. is long overdue for real action on climate,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “This bill will help slash emissions at a time when the impacts of the climate crisis are being felt around the country. We still have work to do at the state and local level to respond to this crisis and bring emissions down to zero by 2050.”
“This new law takes some great steps on biomass and offshore wind, but it’s sorely lacking when it comes to environmental justice,” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at CLF. “For too long, these communities have been overburdened and overlooked when it comes to air quality, access to transit, and toxic pollution. We need to put a much larger focus on protecting EJ neighborhoods and phasing out fossil fuels once and for all when the legislature reconvenes.”
“It’s no coincidence that this bill is moving forward at a time when large swaths of the country are baking in yet another heatwave,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “The IRA will help us slash emissions and bolster the country’s clean energy efforts to respond to the climate crisis at our doorsteps. However, this bill still doesn’t get us to where we need to be, so state action to reduce emissions is going to be critical in the years ahead.”
“Completely shutting down the Orange Line for 30 days is unacceptable,” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at CLF. “It’s awful that the T has failed to maintain tracks and infrastructure for so long that it now warrants a monthlong shutdown. Replacement buses will more than double travel times, disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands of riders. At the very least, the T must implement bus lanes for the entire length of the route and run more frequent commuter rail service.”
“Given the glacial pace of new right whale protections over the last decade, immediately curtailing the second biggest threat to their existence would be a game-changer,” said Erica Fuller, senior attorney at Conservation Law Foundation. “This proposed rule is a major step forward, but there’s a five-month gap in protection south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket that should be addressed. Federal officials must now get these protections in place on the water as quickly as possible and effectively enforce them.”
“This bill includes some important steps forward in limiting biomass subsidies and supporting the offshore wind industry,” said Caitlin Peale Sloan, Vice President of CLF Massachusetts. “However, there’s a lot of room for improvement when it comes to environmental justice. The state needs to take a stronger stand in protecting these communities from air pollution, creating access to an electrified commuter rail, and our leaders must do more to equitably phase out fossil fuels once and for all. We’ll continue our push to make these critical changes a reality in the next session.”
“Every time it rains, a toxic stew is running into three of the area’s most iconic rivers,” said Caitlin Peale Sloan, Vice President of CLF Massachusetts. “We’ve repeatedly asked the EPA to clean up this pollution, but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. It’s time for the agency to hold these large properties accountable for the constant damage they’re doing to our cherished rivers.”
“With an extinction crisis unfolding in real-time, this decision is necessary for the recovery of North Atlantic right whales,” said Erica Fuller, senior attorney at Conservation Law Foundation. “The fact is, this area wasn’t chosen at random. It’s an area where science showed a deadly trifecta of dense lobster gear, heavy lines, and whales for a few months of the year. The court made the right call in reaffirming the decision, which will have a significant impact on this dwindling whale population.”
“As we’ve been saying for years, the state’s MHP process is fundamentally flawed,” said Deanna Moran, Interim Vice President of Healthy and Resilient Communities at CLF. “The developer-driven Downtown MHP would have resulted in less public access to one of the city’s greatest treasures – Boston Harbor. Today’s ruling makes it clear that it’s time to center waterfront planning on public access and community input, not developer profits.”
“For too long, low-income communities have been excluded from investments in healthy and sustainable housing and small businesses,” said Gina Foote, director of Impact Investment at Conservation Law Foundation. “With help from UnitedHealth Group and the Healthy Neighborhoods Equity Fund, that’s finally beginning to change. This investment will lead to more vibrant and inclusive neighborhoods across southern New England.”
