MBTA GENERAL MANAGER Steve Poftak said the agency is making solid progress in dealing with the four safety directives issued by the Federal Transit Administration, but he cautioned that reduced […]
Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl oversees the production of content and edits reports, along with carrying out his own reporting with a particular focus on transportation, energy, and climate issues.
He previously worked at the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper.
Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Oil, gas exec sees energy landscape changing
CLEAN ENERGY ADVOCATES and environmentalists would be quick to point out that Mike Sommers is not exactly a neutral observer when it comes to energy policy. As CEO of the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Altman leaving Health Policy Commission
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday appointed retired health care executive Deborah Devaux as chair of the Health Policy Commission, replacing Stuart Altman, who has chaired the agency since its creation […]
Posted inTransportation
Harvard’s Allston campus takes big step forward
THE ENORMOUS POTENTIAL of Harvard University’s land-holdings in Allston began to take shape on Tuesday as the city and the school unveiled an agreement detailing plans for the initial 9.4 […]
Posted inState Government
New tax credit for live performances surfaces again
HOUSE LEADERS are trying once again to launch a new tax credit to lure live theater, dance, and musical productions to Massachusetts. The so-called live performance tax credit received little […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
House proposes $1b in short and long-term tax relief
HOUSE LEADERS rolled out a $523.5 million package of permanent tax breaks on Monday that, when combined with $510 million in one-time payments to middle-income residents proposed last week, would […]
Posted inTransportation
Déjà vu for Congressman Lynch
IT’S A BIT of déjà vu for US Rep. Stephen Lynch. Last year, he was upset with the MBTA because it had received billions in federal aid but was nevertheless […]
Posted inTransportation
Lynch optimistic about bringing back T retirees
US REP. STEPHEN LYNCH is optimistic the MBTA and its unions can find a way to bring retired subway dispatchers back on the job to help raise staffing levels in […]
Posted inEducation
Wu claims victory in school negotiations
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu suggested on Tuesday that the agreement between the city and state over management of the Boston Public Schools was a victory of sorts for her. The […]
Posted inTransportation
Another agency shares blame for MBTA safety issues
THE MBTA is taking a lot of hits for its safety shortcomings, but there’s another state agency that deserves a share of the blame. The Department of Public Utilities is […]
Posted inTransportation
Gas tax holiday good politics, not policy
A GAS TAX HOLIDAY may be good politics but it’s not good public policy, according to Evan Horowitz, executive director of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University. […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA resumes service at Haymarket Station
THE MBTA resumed Orange and Green Line service through Haymarket Station on Sunday, three days after it was shut down when it was discovered one of the columns supporting the […]
Posted inTransportation
More bad news for T: Haymarket shuts down
THE MBTA shut down Green and Orange Line subway service through Haymarket Station Thursday evening after HYM, the developer of the Government Center Garage, said columns supporting the garage and […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA outlines hybrid approach on rail electrification
THE MBTA’S current plan for electrifying its commuter rail system calls for a hybrid approach using trains that draw power from overhead wires but also have the capability of running […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA ramping up hiring efforts in control center
MBTA GENERAL MANAGER Steve Poftak said a hiring blitz, complete with the offer of $10,000 signing bonuses, has attracted roughly 30 potential job recruits for the operations control center, where […]
Posted inPolitics
Chang-Diaz discontinuing campaign for governor
SEN. SONIA-CHANGE DIAZ said she is discontinuing her campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor but keeping her name on the ballot while campaigning for other candidates who share her […]
Posted inTransportation
84% of Mass. residents support low-income fare
MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS overwhelmingly support a discount for low-income riders of the MBTA, according to a new poll. The poll indicates 56 percent of residents strongly support and 27 percent somewhat […]
Posted inTransportation
Biden, Baker aligned on gas tax holiday
PRESIDENT BIDEN’S call for gas tax suspensions at the federal and state level is changing the rhetoric around tax relief in Massachusetts, but not Democratic opposition on Beacon Hill. Initially, […]
Posted inGambling
Leominster group pursuing fourth casino region
A GROUP of Leominster business officials, with the help of former Senate president and now lobbyist Stan Rosenberg, is pursuing a long-shot, end-of-the-legislative-session bid to create a fourth casino region […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawmakers eye $250m for East-West rail
A TRANSPORTATION BOND BILL headed for a vote this week in the House includes language authorizing $250 million in spending on East-West rail, but nothing about the creation of a […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawmakers plan T safety hearings, call for $400m in extra aid
LEGISLATIVE LEADERS jumped into the fray over MBTA safety on Tuesday, announcing plans to hold oversight hearings on the transit authority in the coming weeks and to pass legislation appropriating […]
Posted inTransportation
Getting a handle on FTA’s to-do list for MBTA
THE FEDERAL TRANSIT Administration gave the MBTA a safety to-do list last week, with each task assigned its own timetable. The MBTA had 48 hours to come up with a […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA cutting back service on subway lines
THE MBTA said on Friday that it intends to comply with a Federal Transit Administration directive on inadequate staffing levels in its operations center not by adding dispatchers but by […]
Posted inTransportation
Federal directives raise management, budget, oversight questions at MBTA
THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION’S crackdown on safety issues at the MBTA is raising questions about the transit agency’s management, its budget, and its oversight going forward. On Wednesday, the FTA […]