Feb 12, 2018

Massachusetts Releases Omnibus Clean Energy Bill

“This ambitious bill is a bold statement of our need to fight for the health and safety of our communities,” said David Ismay, Senior Attorney at CLF. “Climate change is already affecting families and businesses across our state, and these comprehensive solutions will help us reach our 2050 climate goals and beyond. The future of Massachusetts is clean energy that is affordable and accessible to everyone. This omnibus bill gives us the opportunity to simultaneously reduce our emissions, bring good jobs to the region, and invigorate our neighborhoods.”

MA legislators can still make progress on clean energy
Feb 08, 2018

CLF Files Lawsuit to Protect Critically Endangered Right Whales

“The North Atlantic right whale is facing the most dire of circumstances, and without our help, could be facing extinction as soon as 2040,” said CLF attorney Emily Green. “Research shows that entanglement in fishing gear has accounted for 85 percent of right whale deaths in recent years. Tragically, chronic entanglement is a source of extreme stress, pain, and suffering for right whales, and can interfere with eating, moving, and reproducing. And we know that entanglement can cause long-term adverse health impacts even for whales that manage to escape the ropes.”

right whales
Feb 01, 2018

Northern Pass Denied Permit by Unanimous Decision

“Northern Pass has bullied its way through this process, and today’s decision says loud and clear that the people of New Hampshire won’t stand for it,” said CLF attorney Melissa Birchard. “The committee served us well. It heard the overwhelming opposition of towns and communities, and it rejected Northern Pass’s false claims that New Hampshire’s properties, tourism industry, and treasured resources would be unmarred by this proposal. The Baker administration now has the opportunity to get this selection right by immediately choosing the best and most qualified project to put the state’s critical clean energy purchase back on track.”

Jan 30, 2018

Fishing Council Approves Amendment to Protect Corals

“Using their authority under the Magnuson-Stevens Act to safeguard fragile corals is commendable,” said Allison Lorenc, Policy Analyst for Conservation Law Foundation. “However, the Council’s approval of Option 6 – based largely on fishing industry conjecture – is a missed opportunity to make decisions based on the best available information. The Council had an option on the table that would have protected far more corals and would not have had significant impacts on existing fisheries.”

Coral amendment
Jan 30, 2018

CLF Brings LePage to Court for Outrageous Wind Power Decision

“This Executive Order is a naked political attempt to impose the Governor’s own anti-renewable energy philosophy on the people and businesses of Maine,” said CLF Executive Vice President and Maine Director Sean Mahoney. “It is a clear violation of a fundamental premise of government established by the Maine Constitution – the separation of powers between our three branches. Not only is it illegal, but it is also bad for Maine’s economy where businesses need to have certainty in order to invest. As with other decisions of this Governor concerning energy efficiency and solar power development, Mainers across the state will suffer from this outrageous effort to hamstring our economic future, and CLF will do everything in our power stop it.”

Photo: Wind turbines
Jan 25, 2018

CLF and Cronin Group Reach Settlement on Public Benefits for 150 Seaport Project

“A project that had been a battleground will now create common ground,” said CLF president Bradley Campbell, “and Jon Cronin deserves credit for resolving differences with CLF in favor of expanded public access to the waterfront.  CLF spent decades and taxpayers have spent billions of dollars transforming Boston Harbor from an open sewer to a natural treasure and an engine of new growth.  This settlement honors those public investments and makes clear that greater public access can go hand-in-hand with new development.”

Jan 25, 2018

Northern Pass Selection Shows Utter Disregard for Public Outcry

“Choosing Northern Pass reflects a process corrupted by the heavy hand of our region’s largest utility,” said Greg Cunningham, Director of CLF’s Clean Energy and Climate Change program. “This decision is a slap in the face to dozens of affected communities and thousands of local residents who have been outspoken in opposing this harmful proposal. Northern Pass’s developers have shown total disregard for the permanent and severe impacts this project would have on communities and the environment. To sell their project, they have peddled mistruths to the public and to the selection committee. It is not the solution Massachusetts wants or needs, and CLF will continue to oppose it.”

transmission lines
Jan 23, 2018

CLF Announces Lawsuit to Protect the Nashua River

“Fort Devens should be setting the gold standard for building a thriving, ecologically sound community from the ground up,” said Christopher Kilian, Director of CLF’s Clean Energy and Healthy Forests program. “Instead, these developers are putting neighbors at risk by allowing unrestricted, unpermitted pollution into the already-distressed Nashua River. It’s time to make Fort Devens a key feature of this vital river’s road to recovery rather than a barrier in its way.”

Jan 18, 2018

Advocates Applaud NH Senate for Passage of Lead Poisoning Prevention Bill

“For too long, we’ve put New Hampshire kids on the front lines of this serious public health problem – risking their health and their futures with the permanent effects of lead poisoning,” said Tom Irwin, Director of the New Hampshire office of Conservation Law Foundation. “Today’s vote is a victory for kids across the state. And because childhood lead poisoning often has a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and people of color, creating yet another barrier to breaking the cycle of poverty, today’s vote is a victory for some of New Hampshire’s most vulnerable children and families. We look forward to seeing the Governor sign this important bill into law.”

Photo: lead paint