AMERICANS CAN FINALLY breathe clean air and a sigh of relief as we see the path ahead to our clean energy future. For decades, the prospects for a livable future looked dim as we fought an uphill battle to make sure the United States would fully embrace climate action and clean energy. Congress has been […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Hydrogen shouldn’t have a role in heating buildings
NATIONAL GRID New England President Stephen Woerner recently wrote an op-ed noting how Greek architects practiced “a methodical, systematic style that appropriately balanced aspiration with sound architectural order for enduring results.” He compared this approach to National Grid’s planned strategies for injecting hydrogen and “renewable natural gas” (RNG) into our current pipeline system that distributes fossil […]
Posted inOpinion
Heavier, faster e-bikes worry me
AS A PEDESTRIAN, I am worried city streets will get more dangerous now that faster, heavier electric bicycles or e-bikes have been officially recognized by state officials. This year’s state infrastructure bill, signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in August, designates two classes of e-bikes that can travel up to 20 mph and puts them in […]
Posted inOpinion
End-of-session cram is no way to conduct legislative business
THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE passed more substantive legislation in the last 18 days of its two-year session than it had in the previous 550. In those 18 days of July, it passed the state’s annual budget, over a dozen other major pieces of policy legislation, and over 100 minor bills. In just the last six days […]
Posted inOpinion
We’re making huge federal investments in science research — and must do more
BASIC SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH opens doors to understanding our world from the smallest nanoparticles to the largest faraway universes. New discoveries can improve lives and help us confront the extraordinary challenges we face. Research is also an engine of innovation and economic development. Basic scientific research quite literally lays the foundation for our future. Those of […]
Posted inEconomy
The future of work is not for sale
EVERY LABOR DAY working people celebrate the countless contributions the labor movement has made to improve the lives of working people. We reflect on the past and present to organize a better future for all. Right now, working people are frustrated. Many are struggling to afford the basics, much less save for college or retirement. […]
Posted inOpinion
Our democratic institutions are failing voters
MORE MASSACHUSETTS voters will participate in the Democratic primaries for constitutional office than any year since 2006. There’s just one big problem: most of them have no opinion of the candidates. As shown in a recent MassINC poll sponsored by Priorities For Progress, fewer than half of primary voters believe they have sufficient information to choose […]
Posted inOpinion
Planning by pieces isn’t working in Charlestown
IN THE FIELD of urban planning, a master plan is a document and policy guide designed to help communities create a vision of what they want to look like in the future. A master plan should be comprehensive and include existing development, planning initiatives, social and economic considerations regarding all facets of land use. In […]
Posted inOpinion
Keep climate in mind entering voting booth
FOR THE MILLIONS of Massachusetts voters who worry about the consequences of climate change and our role and responsibility in the Commonwealth to fight it, the 2022 primary and general elections will be our most important statewide elections in a generation. With open seats for all of our statewide constitutional offices, voters will have a […]
Posted inEnergy, Opinion
Increase in federal fuel aid desperately needed as prices soar
HIGH PRICES HAVE left millions of Americans struggling to pay their bills. The cost of virtually everything has skyrocketed, from food to rent to used cars, but particularly energy. Wellhead prices of natural gas have more than doubled in the last year and heating oil costs this winter will double as well. No one who […]