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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 …

Studies show a correlation between ample tree canopy in urban areas and reduced heat-related ambulance calls during extreme heat events. (Adobe Stock)

New online tool helps Boston grow tree equity

A new online tool is helping community groups in Boston ensure all neighborhoods reap the benefits from urban tree canopies. The Tree Equity Score …

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 …

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…

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 …

Nuestras Ra�ces manages nine urban community gardens in Holyoke, plus four for the Holyoke Education System, supporting over 100 families with locally grown, fresh food. (Adobe Stock)

Celebrating 30 Years of Puerto Rican “Agri-Culture” in Western MA

The Holyoke area is home to many Puerto Rican families who say they will do what they can to help people there as they recover from the latest hurrica…

In 2020 alone, at least 2.58 billion cubic feet of methane gas leaked into communities and the atmosphere. (romaset/Adobe Stock)

Report: Last Decade Has Seen Too Many Methane Gas Leaks

A new report found in the last decade, there have been nearly 2,600 methane gas pipeline incidents in the U.S. serious enough to require reporting to …

PFAS are used to make many products water-resistant, including raincoats. (Maksim Ksenofontov/Adobe Stock)

Scorecard Ranks Retail, Apparel Companies on PFAS Policies

Groups advocating for an end to the use of Perfluorinated and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS), known as "forever chemicals," ranked various retail …

A bill before the General Assembly would mean wood-burning power plants can no longer be categorized as renewable. (Andrei Merkulov/Adobe Stock)

MA Groups: Time is Now to End Biomass Subsidies

Proposed legislation would end subsidies for wood-burning power plants in Massachusetts by removing biomass as an eligible fuel source for the Commonw…

When drivers fill up their tanks in Massachusetts, they pay 24 cents per gallon to the state and a little more than 18 cents per gallon to the federal government. (blackday/Adobe Stock)

MA Ballot Initiative to Ban Fuel Tax Gets Pushback

BOSTON -- Advocates for clean transportation are fighting a proposed ballot initiative, which would prevent Massachusetts from taxing gas and other …

The landmark climate bill signed into law last month, among other measures, prioritizes decarbonizing buildings, which currently represent about 30% of the Commonwealth's emissions. (Adobe Stock)

MA Groups Look to Build on Landmark Climate Bill This Earth Day

BOSTON -- This Earth Day, as President Joe Biden convenes a climate summit with world leaders, Massachusetts environmentalists hope federal efforts …

The Merrimack River Watershed has been identified by the U.S. Forest Service as one of the most threatened watershed areas due to forest land development. (Kenneth/Adobe Stock)

MA Conservationists: Protect Riverfront Forests to Improve Water Quality

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- The U.S. Forest Service is partnering with a group of agencies and nonprofits to conserve water quality and forest health in the …

A major climate-change bill that would set goals for sequestering carbon in Massachusetts forests, wetlands, salt marshes and trees in urban areas is awaiting Gov. Charlie Baker's signature. (Wikimedia Commons)

Baker Urged to Sign Major Climate-Change Bill

BOSTON -- Environmental-justice and climate-change advocates are urging Gov. Charlie Baker to sign a bill called An Act Creating a Next-Generation …

Massachusetts is part of an effort to make the feds regulate methane waste, which is linked to climate change. The state is hoping to reduce the number of powerful storms that pound the coastline. (Erin McDaniel/Wikimedia Commons)

MA Asks Court To Stop EPA Stalling on Methane Waste Rules

BOSTON -- Massachusetts and 15 other states and cities are asking a federal judge to force the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate methane emi…

A new report has found that natural features such as the dunes at Cape Cod National Seashore are more effective than man-made barriers at protecting communities during big storms. (Donna Benavides/Wikipedia)

Report: Nature Offers Best Protection Against Natural Disasters

CAPE COD, Mass. -- As hurricane season begins, a new report from The National Wildlife Federation and Allied World insurance shows that natural …

The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant, the last one operating in Massachusetts, closed in 2019. (WBUR/Creative Commons)

Massachusetts Leads Power-Plant Emission Reductions in U.S.

BOSTON -- The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has lowered power-plant emissions dramatically in the Northeast, and Massachusetts can take a lot of …

A bipartisan bill pending in Congress, the SAVE Right Whales Act, would provide funding for ropeless gear trials and other right whale research and conservation innovations. (Rusty Elliott/Adobe Stock)

How Lobster-Gear Changes Could Save Right Whales from Extinction

CAPE COD, Mass. – North Atlantic right whales number slightly more than 400 and are facing extinction, including off the shore of Massachusetts…

Smog-creating air pollution from power plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania travels as far north as Massachusetts. (coffee/Pixabay)

Lawsuit Claims New EPA Rule Increases Interstate Smog in New England

BOSTON – Groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency to make it enforce the "Good Neighbor" provisions of the Clean Air Act, …

Pregnant women are advised not to eat fish with high mercury levels, one of the reasons some are concerned about the new head of the EPA's deregulatory agenda, including efforts to roll back the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rule. (Dale Cruse/Flickr)

Mass. Mom Questions Wheeler as Choice to Head EPA

AMHERST, Mass. – A group of ten moms visited Capitol Hill this week to oppose Andrew Wheeler's confirmation as EPA administrator. This …

Mass. has a target of 3.2 GW of offshore wind power by 2035, but advocates hoped for more. (David_Kaspar/Pixabay)

Climate Rallies Challenge Mass. to Do More

WORCESTER, Mass. – On Saturday, Bay Staters will be participating in Rise for Climate, Jobs and Justice, an international day of action for …

Multiple Massachusetts groups say President Donald Trump already declared a

Not Much Traction in Bay State for Trump Climate Move

BOSTON – Promising to save trillions of dollars in lost domestic product and millions of industrial jobs, President Donald Trump announced …

Public interest groups are concerned about a presidential executive order to cut two federal regulations for each new one released. (Mampato/Wikimedia)

Regulations Cuts Prompt Legal Action By Public-Interest Groups

BOSTON — Public interest law, environmental and labor groups are suing to stop the Trump administration's executive order to cut government …

The Dakota Access Pipeline is drawing opposition from tribal, justice and peace activists in New England. (E. Zulaski)

New Englanders Organize Against Dakota Access Pipeline

BOSTON – While the Dakota Access Pipeline is being built thousands of miles away, tribal and social justice activists in New England have been …

New legislation in the U.S. Senate bill is aimed at protecting whistleblowers at such facilities as the Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station. (Entergy)

Government Whistleblowers Get New Protections in Senate Bill

DUXBURY, Mass. – A bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would further protect whistleblowers at Pilgrim and other nuclear sites…

A self-described Toxic Tour is gaining support from the Bay State and beyond at the Democratic National Convention as activists call attention to the need for action on pollution and climate change. (Grassroots Global Justice Alliance)

New England Avocates Cheer "Toxic Tour" at DNC

BOSTON – A self-described Toxic Tour that traveled from the Republican National Convention to the Democratic National Convention in its quest to…

Kirstie Pecci (center) says residents of Charlton, Sturbridge and Southbridge are concerned about well water contamination and they don't want state officials to approve the proposed expansion of a local landfill until the source of contamination is determined. (MASSPIRG)

Residents Want Lid on Landfill Expansion Plan

SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass. - Put a lid on it. That's the message from residents who live near the proposed expansion of the Southbridge landfill. An …

PHOTO: Coastal storm damage, such as in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, will be more frequent as sea levels rise through the century in the Northeast, according to a new report. Photo courtesy Risky Business Project.

Report: Massachusetts Economy Headed “Underwater?”

BOSTON - The Northeast is expected to experience a temperature increase over the next century. But a new study identified rising oceans, and their …

PHOTO: Big game species, including the deer and moose prized by Massachusetts hunters, are being threatened by climate change, according to a National Wildlife Federation report. Courtesy USFWS-Northeast region.

Game Over? New England Hunters Confront Climate Change

BOSTON - Hunters in Massachusetts and New England are warned in a new report that the warming winters brought on by climate change may someday take aw…

Farmworkers are in Washington DC today, calling on Congress for stronger protections from hazardous pesticides they say are harming them and their families. Courtesy Pesticide Action Network.

Advocate: Farm Workers “Treated Like An Insect”

BOSTON - Farm workers from around the nation have flown to the nation's capital to urge Congress to pass stronger legislation to reduce what one gover…

GRAPHIC: A new report from the National Wildlife Federation says climate change is a threat to migratory birds, many of them iconic species that travel through or spend summers in New England. Courtesy NWF

New England’s Feathered Friends Face Threat From Global Warming

BOSTON - A new study called Shifting Skies says climate change is affecting migratory birds that live in or pass through Massachusetts and New England…

Birds that migrate through Massachusetts, such as the Yellow Warbler, are threatened by changes to their nesting habitat in Canada. Photo credit: Boreal Songbird Initiative

For the Birds: Massachusetts Watches Migratory Songbirds

BOSTON - From their beautiful songs to their stunning colors, birds are putting on their best displays this time of year in Massachusetts. It's the …

PHOTO: Some of New England's moose population is in decline and a leading wildlife biologist is blaming climate change for bolstering the winter ticks that feed on the iconic mammals. Courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

NE Moose Population Decline Sparing MA So Far

BOSTON - The Massachusetts moose population is so far not affected by the problems in neighboring New Hampshire, where the number of the animals is …

PHOTO: Oil found in Gulf wetlands in 2012. Courtesy: Craig Guillot, NWF

Environmental "Trial of the Century" to Start Today

BOSTON - Billions of dollars and the health of the Gulf Coast are on the line as the trial against BP begins today in New Orleans. Based on …

PHOTO: Sally Jewell, the current CEO of Seattle-based outdoor retailer REI, is President Obama's new nominee for Secretary of the Interior. Courtesy of REI, Inc.

Interior Department to Try On Non-Politico Secretary

BOSTON - The head of REI, the prominent outdoor clothing and gear retail company, has been nominated for Secretary of the Interior. If confirmed…

PHOTO: A new report says lobster fisheries in the Gulf of Maine might be the

Lobster “Canary in Coal Mine” of New England Climate Change?

BOSTON - The New England lobster, under threat from disease and invasive species, may be the "canary in the coal mine" of climate disruption…

PHOTO: Man in a deer stand. Photo credit: Steve Maslowski, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Hunt & Fish vs. “Drill, Baby, Drill?” - NE Sportsmen Weigh In

BOSTON - Conservation is just as important as gun rights, according to a new poll of sportsmen by the National Wildlife Federation. Nearly half said …

Report: In Environment, Local Groups Get Short Shrift

BOSTON - The biggest groups get the biggest bucks when it comes to charitable foundations granting money to conservation organizations, while in many …

Clean Energy Experts: MA Leads Pack, U.S. Lags Behind

BOSTON - Clean power, good jobs and energy independence are the goals of a national campaign coming to the Bay State this week, to tour innovative …

Senate Votes Today on Handcuffing EPA

BOSTON - Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Laurie Burt has written to Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle urging…

America's Future: Energy & Climate Play Biggest Role

BOSTON - As the nation and Congress grapple with an energy and climate bill, many business leaders have taken exception to the effort to reduce …

Report: BP Can’t Be Singled Out

As the costs of Gulf Coast cleanup efforts from the BP oil spill continue to rise, a new report examines the industry as a whole, in terms of safety …

Environmental Health Risks: Not Just Cancer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A recent report delivered to President Obama by a special panel appointed by President Bush warned that the risk of cancer from …

Report on School Safety: Wakeup Call on Possible Cell Tower Danger

WASHINGTON, D.C. – There is new evidence it's not just cell phones that might harm children's health, but the invisible radiation from cell …

Tourism Tips for New England's Wacky Winter Weather

WESTFORD, Mass. - As the old saying goes in New England: if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change. And, according to a new …

Study: Global Warming Partly to Blame for all the Rain

Washington, DC – Global warming is partly to blame for the heavy storms and flooding in Massachusetts and across the country, according to a …

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MA: Environmental Justice