Schlick will coordinate state government agencies and work with communities to “prepare for rising temperatures, protect public health and reduce the impacts of extreme heat,” according to a press release from Gov. Maura Healey’s office.
Environment
Posted inEnvironment
When funding was canceled, projects in Fitchburg designed to reduce flooding and pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods were left unfinished.
Posted inEnvironment
‘It’s like the Hunger Games’: Quabbin Reservoir towns take funding fight to Beacon Hill amid extended drought
A perfect storm of long-held resentments, the well-known story of the financial crunch squeezing small towns across the state, and an act of blameless chance — weather — is raising the stakes and stoking new tensions between these sparse towns and the powers that be in state government.
Posted inEnvironment
Despite being disproportionately impacted by air pollution, many Gateway Cities don’t have state-run air quality monitors
Of these 26 former industrial cities, 17 do not have state-operated air quality monitors. At a time when environmental justice communities are even more at risk due to federal rollbacks to clean air protections, the lack of monitors has some advocates speaking out as climate change continues to lay the groundwork for the dangerously hot and dry conditions that fuel wildfires.
Posted inEnvironment
The air they breathe
EPA cuts in Springfield and Hampden County affect programs sending trained staff into homes to help families manage asthma triggers like mold, dust, old carpeting, and poor ventilation.
Posted inEnvironment
“If the city wants to make real progress on climate goals, the building sector is where the biggest changes have to happen.”
Posted inEnergy
In New Bedford, Healey celebrates completion of Vineyard Wind project as the company faces financial disputes
Gov. Maura Healey along with Massachusetts labor and energy leaders celebrated the completion of the country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project, which concluded construction in March. She touted its benefits while shrugging off the wind development company’s recent financial disputes that have made headlines and threatened the project.
Posted inEnvironment
House committee strips Senate policy plans from environmental bond
The House Ways and Means Committee slimmed the Senate’s bond authorizations (S 3064) down by more than 20 percent, advancing a new draft Tuesday that would authorize $3.078 billion in borrowing compared to the Senate-supported $3.94 billion.
Posted inEnvironment
$120 million sewer project marks Lynn’s latest effort to improve water quality, fix its long-polluted coastline
A collection of cities on the North Shore (and across Massachusetts) have historically combined sewer systems where both wastewater and stormwater come through shared pipes. During heavy rains, the excess flow bypasses the treatment plants where it is supposed to be cleaned and is instead discharged into local bodies of water to prevent backups in people’s homes.
Posted inBallot Questions
Massachusetts ranks low in spending for land conservation. This ballot initiative is trying to change that.
Nature for Massachusetts – a coalition of nearly 70 nonprofits and a few private companies – is pushing for the Commonwealth to create a dedicated fund to purchase land for conservation, outdoor recreation, and water quality improvement. The group’s original goal was to pass this policy, which would be funded by the sales tax the state accrues from the sale of sporting goods, through the Legislature, but the House and Senate versions of the bills failed to gain traction.
Posted inEnvironment
‘Not if, but when’: Flood prevention project in Everett and Chelsea remains frozen one year after federal program cuts
One year ago in April, the Trump administration abruptly announced its intent to shut down the bipartisan Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) initiative that has allocated billions of dollars in federal grants to pre-disaster mitigation efforts in communities across the country since 2020.
Posted inEnvironment
Tepper stands by Mass. climate goals, ramps up outreach on Canadian wind power
Tepper shared in an interview with CommonWealth Beacon that she took a previously-unreported trip up to Nova Scotia last month to meet with officials to discuss how Massachusetts can potentially tap into Canadian offshore wind, much in the way the state will soon have access to 1,200 megawatts of hydropower from Quebec.
Posted inEnvironment
Western Mass. cities working to prevent sewer overflows amid funding challenges and intensifying rain
All three cities have made multi-million-dollar efforts in recent years to prevent sewer overflows, but as climate change continues to worsen heavy rain events, inevitable overflow events are working against their progress.
Posted inHousing
The new Seaport District? Restoration of Lynn’s waterfront has developers closing in on city’s South Harbor
The waterfront is one of Lynn’s major attractions and has been a key part of the city’s ongoing growth and economic revitalization plans. But affordable housing advocates have raised concerns about the kind of development that Harbor Park has attracted – comparing the South Harbor to Boston’s wealthy Seaport District.
Posted inEnvironment
“They’re in everything:” Massachusetts lawmakers explore solutions to forever chemicals
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, at least 45% of the nation’s tap drinking water is estimated to have one or more types of PFAS. State data show that at least 171 public water systems in 96 cities in Massachusetts have contaminated water that exceeds the state’s limit.
Posted inEconomy
Tax change lifts plans for “hyperscale” data center campus in Westfield
The increasingly digital world — in which people and businesses are constantly searching the Internet, turning to AI for help, or storing information in the cloud — has led to a growing need for data centers to support online activity.
Posted inEnvironment
Lynn, Swampscott team up to clean Greater Boston’s dirtiest beach
A three-month pilot program is working to tackle the century-old problem of pollution at King’s Beach using ultraviolet light. The initial results have been promising, but between the high cost projected for a long-term fix and cuts to federal funding, whether the system could be permanently implemented remains to be seen.
Posted inEnvironment
‘The ultimate underdog’: Chelsea named 2025 All-America city for sustainability projects
The city of Chelsea was named a 2025 “All-America” city by the National Civic League. The low-income, majority Hispanic city has faced a disproportionate share of environmental hazards and was recognized for three of its community-led environmental projects.
Posted inEnvironment
Drought management not included in Healey’s $3 billion environmental bond bill
After a period of unprecedented drought and wildfires in Massachusetts last fall and winter, the urgency around addressing drought seems to have dissipated.
Posted inEnvironment
A new project is helping Chelsea residents better understand their air quality
With protections for clean air and environmental justice communities being rolled back by the Trump administration, a project in Chelsea has put up over 80 air monitors around the city to help its residents make informed decision about their health.
Posted inEnvironment
Massport hires first climate chief
The Massachusetts Port Authority, which owns and operates high emissions-producing Logan International Airport, has hired its first chief climate and resilience officer.
