GOV. MAURA HEALEY’S recent appointment of the Commonwealth’s first cabinet level climate chief –Melissa Hoffer, joining from the Environmental Protection Agency – reflects the new administration’s belief that resiliency is a priority issue that spans public health, equity, the economy, and environmental sustainability. With key federal, state, and local players committed to rapidly advancing our efforts […]
Climate change
Posted inOpinion
Getting to yes on climate change response
CLIMATE CHANGE is real. So too is a massive transformation underway of electric power generation markets and transmission networks. That transformation is largely driven by public policies focused on electrification of vehicles, buildings, and industrial processes. This electrification, to achieve climate goals, will depend increasingly on electricity from wind and solar resources. Implementing these policies […]
Posted inEnvironment
Healey greets Mothers Out Front at her office door
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A CLIMATE JUSTICE GROUP got a last-minute speaker at its State House rally on Wednesday — Gov. Maura Healey, who told a group of mostly mothers and children outside her office that they were “the first to actually visit me here.” Mothers Out Front had originally planned to meet with Healey’s […]
Posted inOpinion
3 steps for equitable climate action
JANUARY 2023 marks the beginning of a new year. For Massachusetts, it also marks the beginning of a new administration with the historic inauguration of Gov. Maura Healey, as well as a new legislative session with new (and incumbent) legislators.  Both Healey as a candidate, and the Legislature during the last legislative session, have made […]
Posted inEconomy
Climate change taking toll on Mass. farms
RYAN VOILAND, owner of Red Fire Farm in Montague and Granby, says growing organic vegetables is hard enough, but doing it amidst climate change makes it nearly impossible. In 2021, his crops suffered significant damage due to excessive rains. This past year the drought forced him to water his crops repeatedly, which yielded a decent […]
Posted inOpinion
Nature-based climate solutions are crucial
This commentary is written as a letter to Gov.-elect Maura Healey. WE JOIN THE CHORUS of leaders across the Commonwealth in congratulating you on your historic election victory. As you prepare to take office, we are thrilled by your administration’s ambitious plans to fight climate change and protect nature. We applaud your focus on climate […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Baker administration fleshes out 2050 climate plan
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION on Wednesday released a 168-page climate plan for 2050 that follows the same general playbook that’s been outlined in the past – increase production of clean electricity; use that electricity to electrify the energy-intensive transportation, building, and industrial sectors; and achieve net-zero emissions by removing additional carbon from the atmosphere using natural […]
Posted inOpinion
Adapting to water rather than fighting it
TEN YEARS AGO, Superstorm Sandy – after ravaging the Caribbean and much of the East Coast of the United States – turned inward and exerted its full force on New York City and the surrounding region, leading to tens of billions of dollars in damages, crippling the city’s subway system, and causing widespread power outages. […]
Posted inOpinion
Forests: the natural solution to climate crisis
FROM CATASTROPHIC STORMS and record-breaking heat to the rapid decline of bird and insect populations, a day doesn’t pass without news about the dire ecological and economic effects of climate change. Sometimes, the relentless cascade of troubling data and predictions can seem like background noise – too difficult to solve, easier to tune out. Here […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Rating agencies praise state, but also issue warning
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE BIG THREE credit rating agencies had largely good things to say about Massachusetts this month, but one firm warned that the strong economic fundamentals and growing state reserves have a counterweight in the state’s vulnerability to coastal storms and flooding. The state is preparing for a $1 billion bond sale […]