Investments by Harvard, MIT, Mass General Brigham and others in clean energy are great, but that ignores the fact that Harvard Medical School and its affiliated hospitals are powered by a harmful fossil-fuel plant in the heart of Boston.
Environment
Posted inEnvironment
Republican and Democratic lawmakers push for a statewide water conservation strategy
After a record fire and drought season in Massachusetts, legislation in the new legislative session aims to empower the state to conserve water during severe drought.
Posted inOpinion
The dark side of AI: Climate chaos, pollution, and injusticeÂ
Unless we have a seat at the table to set regulations, the AI data center boom will hurt Black and brown frontline communities like mine in Roxbury first and worst.
Posted inEducation
Canales stepping down as president of Barr Foundation
JIM CANALES, who has overseen a more than doubling of annual giving at the Barr Foundation while presiding over its emergence as a major civic player in Greater Boston, plans to step down as the foundation’s president later this year. The foundation, which focuses its philanthropic giving on education, climate change, and the arts, said […]
Posted inTransportation
Gas tax third rail haunts transportation funding debates
The fate of the gas tax – a major source of transportation funding generated by people paying at the pump – in the electric car era looms over discussion of how to fund the state’s transit system. As the deadline nears for a task force to make recommendations on revenues, the gas tax is the elephant in the room.
Posted inEnvironment
2024 fire season in Massachusetts burns more acres in 2 months than previous 2 years
More acres burned in wildfires in October and November of this year across Massachusetts than have burned in the past two years combined. Chief Fire Warden David Celino said that 2024 “sticks out like a sore thumb.”
Posted inEnergy
Prysmian coy about plans for plant at Brayton Point
Some speculate that Prysmian is waiting until after the election before making any announcement about the project. Republican Donald Trump has vowed to shut down the offshore wind industry if he is elected.
Posted inEnergy
Mass. ratepayers to pay $521m more for hydroelectricity because of Maine political delays
The project has never received as much attention as the state’s forays into offshore wind, but in many ways it is more important. It offers 1,200 megawatts of firm capacity, power that could be particularly valuable during winter months when New England electricity prices tend to skyrocket as natural gas for use by electric power generators is often diverted for home heating.
Posted inEnergy
House, Senate reach deal on climate bill
The key negotiators – Rep. Jeffrey Roy of Franklin and Sen. Michael Barrett of Lexington – released a statement saying they have an agreement in principle and hope to release the final bill in the coming days.
Posted inEnvironment
Echoes of Helene flooding in Massachusetts climate planning
HURRICANE HELENE’S destructive path through the south, flooding inland areas considered to be sanctuaries from the impact of serious weather and climate events, shocked the country with the scale of damage and loss of life. For Katherine Antos, the undersecretary of decarbonization and resilience at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the Carolinas […]