Posted inEnvironment

Climate report calls for decarbonization cost tally

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS NEEDS to shift from an era of statewide planning for climate policy to the key details of implementing it, according to a new report from the state’s top climate official, which includes sweeping recommendations to accelerate the state’s progress toward its emissions reduction goals. Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer recommends some […]

Posted inMarijuana

O’Brien apologizes for handling of last CCC meeting

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE CHAIRWOMAN of the Cannabis Control Commission apologized to her fellow commissioners Thursday for any “angst” or “confusion” she caused at their last meeting when she unexpectedly announced the agency’s executive director was leaving and that the CCC was in “crisis.” Chairwoman Shannon O’BrienĀ announced at a July 28 meetingĀ that Executive Director […]

Posted inrecycling, Transportation

New MBTA contract perks included to attract, retain workers

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MBTA’S struggles with hiring and retaining workers have grabbed headlines for months, but supporters of a new labor deal featuring pay and benefit upgrades say it represents cause for hope that the T will eventually secure the workforce needed to ensure quality service. The tentative four-year agreement includes a raise […]

Posted inEnergy, Environment

Healey administration nixes plan for Plymouth nuclear wastewater

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE REGULATORS denied a bid by the company in charge of decommissioning the nuclear power plant in Plymouth to discharge 1.1 million gallons of industrial wastewater into Cape Cod Bay. After years of local opposition to the company’s discharge plan, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued the draft determination Monday, […]

Posted inTransportation

Pedestrian road fatalities hit record high of 101 in 2022

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE NUMBER of pedestrians and bicyclists involved in on-the-road accidents in Massachusetts is on the rise after record-lows in 2020, with the most pedestrian fatalities on record occurring in 2022. A recent Department of Transportation assessment on the safety of so-called vulnerable road users — those who use the roads but […]

Posted inTransportation

Bus stops targeted to improve pedestrian safety

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FOLLOWING A PEDESTRIAN safety assessment that showed almost half of all Massachusetts pedestrian fatalities or serious injuries happened within 300 feet of a bus stop, the Department of Transportation is looking to use federal funds to make safety improvements at bus stops across the state. Pedestrian fatalities, serious injuries and cyclist […]