In the absence of federal funding and support, municipalities feel added challenges on their paths to net zero but many chug along with the state’s help in projects to decarbonize buildings, municipal fleets, and put up solar arrays.
Environment
Posted inEnvironment
Utility companies target heat pump incentives for cuts to pare back Mass Save budget
“These cuts represent some of the best options of bad options,” said Kyle Murray, the Massachusetts program director at the Acadia Center about the new compliance plan for Mass Save, which reduces the budget for heat pump incentives and program to help residents use one vendor for energy efficiency upgrades.
Posted inOpinion
Why We Were in Handcuffs at Hanscom Airfield
Private developers are working with the Massachusetts Port Authority on a proposal to expand Hanscom’s private jet capacity with 17 new hangars, the accompanying fuel tanks, and other infrastructure. A coalition of neighbors and environmentalists had been working since at least 2023 to oppose the plan with petitions, meetings with representatives, and yard signs.
Posted inEnvironment
Massachusetts postpones rule requiring truck makers to sell electric vehicles
After pressure from industry groups, Massachusetts has delayed the enforcement of a truck emissions rule that Trump administration is trying to eliminate.
Posted inEnvironment
When the river rises
By 2050, severe floods that were expected to happen once every 100 years will be three times more likely to occur in the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts. But the uneven distribution of resources across municipalities leaves some towns less equipped to plan for and respond to disasters.
Posted inOpinion
Why we can’t think straight about the price of eggs
It’s hard to escape the sense that we’re in a crisis and that the best outcome would be for egg prices to drop back to normal as soon as possible. But what if “normal” is actually part of a bigger problem?
Posted inEnvironment
Massport hires first climate chief
The Massachusetts Port Authority, which owns and operates high emissions-producing Logan International Airport, has hired its first chief climate and resilience officer.
Posted inEnvironment
Betting (on) the farm
The latest data from the US Agricultural Census show more than 100,000 acres of farmland in Massachusetts have been lost since 1997. That’s an average of losing just under 15 acres of farmland a day, roughly double the rate of farmland loss nationwide.
Posted inEnvironment
Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s big question on climate
“It’s a transition, but we all have to be more thoughtful,” she said recently.
Posted inOpinion
In the fight for a more sustainable future, we can’t afford to leave underserved communities behind
Since Massachusetts wants to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, we can’t afford to leave any homeowners behind in pursuing clean energy improvements.