Energy + Environment Archives - Page 3 of 5

Hull Offered Nearly $26 Million in Low-Interest Loans to Fund Clean Water Infrastructure Projects

BOSTON, MA – The Baker-Polito Administration recently announced that 113 projects, impacting communities across the Commonwealth, are eligible to receive approximately $819 million in low-interest-rate loans and grants to: fund construction, planning and asset management projects designed to improve water quality; upgrade or replace aging drinking water; and wastewater infrastructure and cut treatment plant energy use and costs. As part of the announcement, the Town of Hull was offered a total of $25,747,500 in low-interest loans to fund three separate water infrastructure projects. The Town must decide if they would like to move forward with the projects by June 30, 2021, and secure local funding authority. “The state funds being administered throughout the Commonwealth will allow our cities and towns to make significant investments in their clean water infrastructure,” said Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “Maintaining this infrastructure is vital to ensuring public health and it’s great to have Hull be offered . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-04-30T15:27:19-04:00April 23rd, 2021|Budget and Grants, Energy + Environment|

Hingham Offered $500,000 Low-Interest Loan to Fund Stormwater Master Plan

BOSTON, MA – The Baker-Polito Administration recently announced that 113 projects, impacting communities across the Commonwealth, are eligible to receive approximately $819 million in low-interest-rate loans and grants to fund construction, planning and asset management projects designed to improve water quality; upgrade or replace aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructure; and cut treatment plant energy use and costs. As part of the announcement, the Town of Hingham was offered a $500,000 low-interest loan to fund the planning of a Stormwater Master Plan. The Town must decide if they would like to move forward with the project by June 30, 2021, and secure local funding authority. “The state funds being administered throughout the Commonwealth will allow our cities and towns to make significant investments in their clean water infrastructure,” said Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “Maintaining this infrastructure is vital to ensuring public health and it’s great to have Hingham be offered . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-04-30T15:27:40-04:00April 23rd, 2021|Budget and Grants, Energy + Environment|

Representative Meschino Outlines Her Priority Bills for the 192nd Legislative Session

(BOSTON) - After filing her bills for the 192nd Session of the Massachusetts Legislature, State Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) highlights three bills among her legislative priorities for the session. While pertaining to different areas, all three bills strive to promote social justice and equity. An Act to create access to justice (H.1792), An Act establishing a community college campus hunger pilot program (H.1350), and An Act relative to a streaming entertainment operator’s use of the public rights-of-way (H.130) advance civil rights justice, support academic attainment by addressing food insecurity among community college students, and support local public access channels, respectively. Representative Meschino’s top priority, An Act to create access to justice (H.1792), empowers an individual to seek redress against discrimination by government policies. This bill restores the right of an individual to bring a claim in state court when a government policy creates disparate impact, meaning that there is . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-04-30T15:24:10-04:00April 16th, 2021|Energy + Environment, Other Topics|

Massachusetts Legislature Passes Landmark Climate Legislation

(BOSTON) - On Thursday, the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate passed nation-leading climate legislation, known as the Next Generation Climate Roadmap bill, which overhauls the state’s climate laws, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, advances the clean energy industry, and prioritizes and protects environmental justice communities. The bill’s central components contain key provisions from An Act creating a roadmap to a clean and thriving commonwealth, originally filed by Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) and known as the “2050 Roadmap.” These 2050 Roadmap provisions update the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal to net zero by 2050, set strong interim targets, and establish comprehensive and iterative planning mechanisms focused on equity to enable the Commonwealth to achieve this ambitious goal. “I filed the 2050 Roadmap to align the Massachusetts economy with the pressing urgency of the climate science,” said Representative Meschino. “This bill is fundamentally an economic one. By mandating a comprehensive . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-03-24T09:56:24-04:00March 19th, 2021|Energy + Environment|

Massachusetts Legislature Passes Landmark Climate Change Bill

(BOSTON) - On January 4, 2021, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed breakthrough climate legislation that overhauls the state’s climate laws, drives down greenhouse gas emissions, creates clean energy jobs, and protects environmental justice communities. The bill, An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy (S.2995), sets a 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions limit, as well as statewide limits every five years; increases the requirements for offshore wind energy procurement, bringing the statewide total to 5,600 megawatts; and requires emission reduction goals for MassSave, the state’s energy efficiency program. The legislation also increases support for clean energy workforce development programs, including those targeting low-income communities, and improves gas pipeline safety. For the first time, the legislation establishes the criteria that define environmental justice in statute. The bill’s central components contain key provisions from An Act creating a roadmap to a clean and thriving commonwealth, . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-01-15T15:51:18-05:00January 5th, 2021|Energy + Environment|

Representative Meschino Reiterates Importance of Mitigation and Environmental Justice in Transportation and Infrastructure Improvement Projects

(BOSTON) – When it comes to resilience in the face of the climate crisis, Representative Meschino’s (D-Hull) focus is forward, stressing the importance of public health and environmental justice as a lens for transportation policy. Internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles cause 43% of Massachusetts’ carbon emissions and contribute to both climate change and local air pollution. Strong transportation policy supports Massachusetts economic recovery and is a means for reducing carbon emissions, mitigating harm to the environment, and protecting public health. The importance of such measures is magnified by the current public health crisis—the pandemic. However, just as the Baker Administration has proceeded further in reopening the Massachusetts economy, the MBTA has begun outlining plans to reduce or potential eliminate service in response to low ridership during the pandemic. The stated intention is to evaluate all routes on two axes: the degree to which a population serviced by the route . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2020-09-30T16:56:05-04:00September 30th, 2020|Energy + Environment, Public Health|

Representative Meschino to Refile Civil Rights Bill After Compressor Station Incident
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Representative Meschino to Refile Civil Rights Bill After Compressor Station Incident

Energy + Environment, Public Health

Representative Meschino to Refile Civil Rights Bill After Compressor Station Incident

(BOSTON) - State Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) declared her intention to refile an important civil rights bill next legislative session in response to the gasket failure which allowed hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of methane gas to escape from the Weymouth Compressor Station into the adjacent residential community on Friday, September 11, 2020. Despite strong opposition by residents, local, state and federal elected officials, public health officials, and environmental advocacy groups, Enbridge began testing the compressor station facilities last week. Instantly, the communities’ worst fears were realized, as a gasket failure released a significant amount of methane gas into the community at ground level. The geographic and meteorological characteristics of the Fore River Basin pushed the escaped methane gas into the basin and trapped it on the ground preventing the gas from dispersing. Both Enbridge and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection released statements confirming the accident occurred. . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2020-09-18T16:58:11-04:00September 18th, 2020|Energy + Environment, Public Health|

Representative Joan Meschino Submits Comments to MassDEP Advocating for Public Health Considerations Near the Compressor Station

(BOSTON) - State Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) added her name to a long list of commenters this week in response to the public comment period issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) regarding the Weymouth Compressor Station. At stake are two different issues, both with real public health impacts on the surrounding community. The first centers on MassDEP’s acceptance of a fossil fuel-powered motor as the best available control technology (BACT), when an electric motor drive would offer a cleaner alternative. The second involves MassDEP’s proposed placement, expected measurement capabilities, and delayed timeline for situating a permanent air quality monitoring station near the Compressor Station site. Yet to be installed, the monitoring station will be less effective in measuring pollutants in the proposed site than in others nearby and may not have the full measuring capabilities to capture 1-hour NO2 emissions and to observe local meteorological conditions. . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2020-09-17T16:01:05-04:00September 17th, 2020|Energy + Environment, Public Health|

House Passes 2050 Roadmap Bill for Addressing Climate Change

(BOSTON) - Last Friday, the House of Representatives passed H.4912, an Act creating a roadmap to a clean and thriving commonwealth, originally filed by Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull). Known as the “2050 Roadmap,” the bill updates the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal to net zero by 2050, sets robust interim targets, and establishes comprehensive and iterative planning mechanisms to help the Commonwealth achieve that goal. “The science is clear: to avoid the devastation of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to net zero by 2050. This goal will only be met by a comprehensive planning process, which locks in key milestones now to get us there in 30 years. I filed the 2050 Roadmap Bill to help us achieve that objective,” said Representative Meschino. “Today, I am excited to announce that my colleagues and I in the Massachusetts House of Representatives came together and passed a roadmap for . . . Read More

joanmeschino2020-08-29T10:22:37-04:00August 4th, 2020|Energy + Environment|

House Unanimously Passes $1.3 Billion for Community Climate Resiliency Projects

This week, Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) voted with her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass legislation investing $1.3 billion to help cities and towns across Massachusetts to fund infrastructure projects aimed at fighting climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The legislation establishes a $1 billion, 10-year grant program – known as GreenWorks – to fund clean energy, energy efficiency, and climate change resiliency measures that cut greenhouse gas emissions, fortify infrastructure and reduce municipal costs. The legislation also invests $325 million in other municipal green projects. “Ensuring that municipalities have access to funds for mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency is crucial as we combat climate change,” said Representative Meschino. “The investments GreenWorks makes in every town unlocks their potential to lead the way.” Modeled after the state’s MassWorks program, GreenWorks funds projects that improve climate preparedness and resiliency, promote or produce clean energy or energy efficiency, build . . . Read More

joanmeschino2020-08-29T10:22:58-04:00July 26th, 2020|Budget and Grants, Energy + Environment|