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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

MA: Environment

Atlantic herring serve as valuable bait for fishermen and lobstermen in Massachusetts, making them  vital to the health of the state's blue economy, which grew 38% between 2009 and 2019. (Adobe Stock)
New England anglers seek greater protections for Atlantic herring stock

Recreational fishermen in New England say commercial trawlers are threatening the survival of smaller businesses relying on a healthy stock of Atlanti…

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Massachusetts has been losing roughly 5,000 acres of forest each year to housing and industrial development as well as large-scale solar power installations, according to Mass Audubon. (Adobe Stock)
MA reforestation plan aims to counter urban heat islands

A proposed urban reforestation program in Massachusetts aims to help cities mitigate the effects of climate change. Legislation would create a state …

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More than 6,000 blue economy businesses in Massachusetts employ a total of 100,000 individuals, who earn nearly $4 billion in annual wages. (Adobe Stock)
Lawmakers, scientists advocate for MA’s 'blue economy'

Lawmakers and scientists in Massachusetts are working to bolster the state's growing "blue economy." Several pieces of legislation aim to create a "b…

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A legislative analysis of the EATS Act from Harvard says it
Family farm advocates in MA rally against EATS Act

A coalition of animal-welfare and family-farm advocates say a proposed amendment to the 2023 Farm Bill jeopardizes states' ability to regulate their o…

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A survey of nearly 1,200 people nationwide found just 25% of people leave their leaves where they fall despite 72% of respondents acknowledging that fallen leaves and the leaf layer are beneficial to wildlife and biodiversity. (Adobe Stock)
More MA homeowners open to leaving leaves where they fall

Autumn leaves will soon be falling, and a growing number of homeowners in Massachusetts are willing to leave them on the ground. A new survey from …

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Lawmakers and environmental groups celebrate creation of the American Climate Corps. It's part of the Biden administration's Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that have been overburdened by pollution. (Office of Sen. Ed Markey)
Lawmakers, youth activists celebrate creation of American Climate Corps

A new federal jobs program aims to mobilize tens of thousands of young Americans to address the growing threats of climate change. The American …

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Burning wood releases fine particulate matter, which is easily inhaled and can lodge deep in the lungs, where it can cause chronic heart and lung disease and trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks, and premature death. (Adobe Stock)
Bills Aim to Close Biomass Loopholes in MA Clean Energy Laws

Environmental and community health advocates in Massachusetts are backing new legislation they say will close loopholes in the state's clean energy la…

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The U.S. military has released 1.2 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere since the War on Terror began in 2001, despite military leaders citing climate change as a national security threat. (WRL)<br />
War Tax Resisters Redirect Money Towards Peace

Tax Day is quickly approaching April 18 but some Massachusetts residents will resist paying their federal taxes as a war protest. War tax resistance…

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Former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed a landmark climate law in 2021 which requires utilities like Eversource and National Grid to increase their renewable-energy portfolio by at least 3% every year. (Adobe Stock)
Boston Moves to Implement Climate-Friendly Building Code

Boston is set to become the eighth and largest city in the Commonwealth to implement a new state climate-friendly building code to reduce the use of f…

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According to Extinction Rebellion, at least eight activists have been arrested at the construction site of the East Boston substation since Eversource began work on January 11. (Extinction Rebellion)
Protests, Construction Continue at East Boston Substation

Environmental activists are calling on Gov. Maura Healy to end construction of the Eversource electrical substation in East Boston, and move it to …

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New England enjoys a diverse climate that is not often associated with drought. Yet in 2000, 2016, 2020 and 2022, New York and the six New England states experienced historic drought conditions not seen since the 1960s. (Adobe Stock)
New England Coordinates Regional Response to Climate Change

The six New England states are joining forces to ensure their emergency responders are well-trained to handle a predicted increase in the number of cl…

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The Environmental Protection Agency proposes to lower the annual soot standards from 12 mcg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter of air) to a range of 9-10 mcg/m3, despite the agency's independent Scientific Advisory Committee recommending a standard between 8-10 mcg/m3.(Adobe Stock)
EPA Encouraged to Strengthen Air-Quality Standards for Soot

Environmental and health advocates say the Environmental Protection Agency's most recent proposal to strengthen national air-quality standards for soo…

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