The New England Regional Council of Carpenters and other area unions are putting on their rally caps tonight in Brockton. But the show of force isn't for the Red Sox. They're converging on Brockton City Hall for what they hope will be a "massive" show of support for Brockton Clean Energy's controversial $350 million power […]
Environment
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, State House News Service
The shape of watts to come
Leonard Bicknell confesses that he’s a nut about consuming less energy, even if it costs him more to do so. Over the years, the South Shore heating oil dealer has super-insulated his house, installed magnetic interior storm windows, and switched over to a solar water heater.
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Politics, The Download
In Chicago, “green jobs” are nothing new
Since President Obama’s campaign-trail promise to create 5 million new “green jobs,” there’s been a scramble among employers, job training programs, and whole business sectors to declare themselves “green,” and, therefore, worthy of federal investment. While new green-job initiatives seem to pop up each month, there are also a handful of veterans in this field, […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, The Download
When green is not “green”
"Green" may be the most elastic word of the new century. Once signifying a color midway between blue and yellow, “green” has morphed to refer to anything that could possibly be construed as having a positive (or less negative) impact on the planet. Enter a language problem: some areas that are literally green (lush grassy […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
The spill, twenty years later
The state Department of Environmental Protection today invited applications for a new round of grants to educate the public about hazardous waste clean-up in the Commonwealth. It's apt (if coincidental) timing, given that today marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most publicized environmental disasters in recent history: the Exxon-Valdez oil spill in Alaska. […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download, Transportation
Bluestone and Pollack’s defense of gas tax hike doesn’t add up
In today's Boston Globe, Barry Bluestone and Stephanie Pollack write that a 19-cent increase in the state gasoline tax will save Massachusetts residents money, reaching a very different conclusion than I did in a post on Wednesday. Bluestone and Pollack, the director and associate director of the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University, say […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download, Transportation
Would a gas tax hike really save you money?
Gov. Deval Patrick implied last week that Massachusetts drivers could save money in the long run if the state gasoline tax was increased by 19 cents, but don't bet on it. Patrick estimated that his gas tax increase would cost drivers an extra $500 million a year, but he pointed out that the state's poor […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
Rooftop garden pioneer takes key USDA post
Another Bay Stater heads to Washington: Tufts professor Kathleen Merrigan has been tapped for the No. 2 slot at the US Department of Agriculture. Appropos of yesterday's posts on urban agriculture and farmer's markets, it's worth noting that Merrigan has a stake in making cities more green. In 2007, Marjorie Howard mentioned Merrigan in a Tufts Journal piece […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
Green opportunities for Gateway Cities
Will vacant land end up saving the economies of Lawrence and New Bedford? Catherine Tumber writes in the Boston Review that smaller cities that were once industrial centers (such as the Gateway Cities in Massachusetts) offer some unique advantages in a new green economy. In "Small, Green and Good," Tumber points out that many of these cities have large parcels […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, The Download, Transportation
Patrick finally embraces gas tax increase
Gov. Deval Patrick made a very persuasive case for raising the state gasoline tax immediately by 19 cents and having it rise in the future in tandem with the Consumer Price Index. My only question: What took him so long? Patrick told the crowd gathered for his speech at the State Transportation Building today that he was going to […]