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Boston Globe
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Massachusetts sues Trump over cuts to climate disaster funds
'In the wake of devastating flooding in Texas and other states, it's clear just how critical federal resources are in helping states prepare for and respond to natural disasters,' Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in a statement Wednesday. '... This administration is abandoning states and local communities that rely on federal funding to protect their residents.' Trump administration officials ended the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster preparedness grant program in April. In a press release at the time — which is Advertisement FEMA's disaster preparedness grant program, currently called the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, or BRIC, has been around in some form for decades. It funds things like floodwalls, pump stations, tornado shelters, and levees across the nation. The program got a big boost during the Biden Administration with a $1 billion appropriation from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Advertisement Since Trump has taken office, his administration has aimed to reverse much of the funding allocated by that legislation and from the Inflation Reduction Act, both of which provided billions for climate resilience projects. President Trump suggested early in his administration that FEMA would 'go away,' and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said they would 'eliminate' the agency. Since the Texas flood emergency, however, administration officials FEMA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the end of the grant program or about why the press release concerning it is no longer posted. In They Massachusetts lost out on about In Chelsea and Everett, a $50 million grant from the program would've been used to build a storm surge control facility, a storm surge barrier, and restore salt marsh to prevent flooding along a tributary of the Mystic River. More than 5,000 residents live in the floodplain nearby, according to the complaint. Advertisement And in Boston, Massachusetts is one of the most vulnerable states in the nation to sea level rise, which is increasing at a faster pace in New England than in most areas of the world. Already, sea levels here have risen by about a foot over the last century, and are likely to rise another foot by 2050 compared to 2000, Boston, a major city built right up to the water's edge, is particularly at risk. Dozens of coastal resilience projects are planned for the city's 47-mile waterfront to withstand 40 inches of sea level rise by 2070, but financing is an open question. Cities and states have long relied on the federal government to help fund costly sea walls, berms, and stormwater infrastructure, which are now being delayed or halted altogether by the federal funding cuts. 'Communities across the country are being forced to delay, scale back, or cancel hundreds of mitigation projects depending on this funding,' states attorneys general wrote in the lawsuit. 'And in the meantime, Americans across the country face a higher risk of harm from natural disasters.' Erin Douglas can be reached at
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
These towns are still out of compliance with housing law as deadline looms
As the final hours before the deadline for many towns to comply with the MBTA Communities Act tick down, some are still holding out against the state's requirements. While some small communities have until the end of the year, most of the 177 cities and towns included under the 2021 law have until Monday, July 14, to implement new zoning allowing multifamily housing. But as of Friday, 14 had yet to do so, with several explicitly avoiding following the guidelines. The MBTA Communities Act requires cities and towns served by the MBTA to have at least one zoning district where multifamily housing is allowed by right. Its goal is to make it easier for developers to create new housing, relieving pressure on the expensive local housing market. In a January ruling, the Supreme Judicial Court upheld the law as constitutional and mandatory. However, the court said the compliance guidelines had not gone through the correct legal process and were, therefore, unenforceable. Soon after, the state has released new, emergency guidelines, giving the 28 towns that had not met their original deadlines until July 14 to comply. They were required to submit an action plan to achieve compliance by Feb. 13, which three towns — Halifax, Marshfield and Middleton — still have not done. After the deadline, noncompliant communities will be ineligible for many state grants and could also see further enforcement action. Previously, Attorney General Andrea Campbell sued the town of Milton to force it to comply, though she has repeatedly said she does not want to use legal action to force compliance. Milton has since approved a new zoning plan meant to follow the guidelines, though according to the state's tracking page, the town had not officially submitted the plan as of Friday. Of the 27 other towns given the July deadline, Duxbury, Georgetown, Ipswich, Middleborough, Millbury, North Reading, Raynham, Rowley, Saugus and Wenham have all approved zoning meant to satisfy the law's requirements. In addition, Norton has been deemed fully compliant. Last month, lawsuits against the state brought by nine of the remaining towns were dismissed when a Plymouth Superior Court judge ruled that the law was not an 'unfunded mandate.' Under the Local Mandate Law, since 1980, any state law or regulation that would impose more than 'incidental administration expenses' on local governments must either be fully funded by the state or be conditional on local acceptance of the rule. In February, State Auditor Diana DiZoglio's office released an opinion that the MBTA Communities Act fell under this law. Though DiZoglio's ruling was nonbinding, it prompted the suits from Duxbury, Hanson, Holden, Marshfield, Middleton, Wenham, Weston and Wrentham, along with another by residents of Hamilton. 'The Superior Court confirmed what has long been clear: a state law requiring multi-family housing districts in communities served by public transportation, but leaving the details and location of those districts to the municipalities themselves, permissibly addresses our housing shortage while still preserving substantial local discretion,' Campbell said after the suits were dismissed. Since then, the Wrentham Select Board and town manager Michael King have indicated they intend to follow the law, though the town has not yet passed new zoning. 'Having pursued the case to a logical conclusion, the Select Board considered all various options, including appeal, and has determined that the most prudent and cost-effective option is to move forward while working proactively to manage future growth in a way that reflects the community's values and priorities,' King and the Select Board wrote in a post on the town website. 'This decision also ensures that Wrentham remains eligible for key state funding opportunities that support infrastructure, public safety, education and other services critical to residents' quality of life.' Weston is also working on zoning, with the Select Board writing in a letter to Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities on Wednesday that they were 'diligently working to achieve compliance' and intended to bring a proposal to town meeting in October. But still, other towns are holding out. Town meeting voters in Dracut, East Bridgewater, Freetown and Wilmington all turned down zoning proposals drafted to follow the law, while in Tewksbury, the town's Planning Board voted not to even bring a zoning proposal to a town meeting vote. In Winthrop, the Town Council failed to support the Planning Board's proposal with a split 4-4 vote on June 17. As recently as Tuesday, voters in Marblehead narrowly overturned the new zoning map that had already been approved in a town-wide referendum, with 52% voting against it, according to unofficial results. 'This is not the outcome we were hoping for today, but our work is not finished,' Marblehead Housing Coalition Chair Peirce Law told the Marblehead Current. 'Long-term noncompliance is not an option, and we fear for the repercussions that Marblehead may soon face.' Wrentham won't fight court ruling; will comply with MBTA Communities Act Judge throws out 'unfunded mandate' lawsuits over MBTA Communities Act Zoning changes under MBTA Communities Act spurs 3K new houses - so far Read the original article on MassLive.


Politico
30-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
Beacon Hill beats the clock
BUZZER BEATER — For the first time in years, Massachusetts has a budget agreement before the start of the fiscal year. Legislators will vote later today on an annual spending bill that would increase spending by roughly 6 percent next fiscal year while eliminating tenant-paid broker's fees, initiating studies on ways to lower housing costs and changing the state's school funding formula, and bumping up the budget for Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office. But the $61 billion bottom line in the spending plan state legislators were putting the finishing touches on over the weekend highlights the challenges ahead for the state's finances, House and Senate negotiators said they cut roughly $500 million from the initial budgets each chamber approved during private conference negotiations, reaching a compromise that's about $1 billion less than Gov. Maura Healey's spending plan called for. 'There is certainly tremors in the state tax revenue world,' Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues told Playbook. 'We are hoping that the tax revenues come in as we agreed to with consensus revenue — but there are definitely concerns about that, based on what we're seeing.' At the same time, budget writers bumped up how much money they plan to use from revenue from surtax on high-earners. The new plan calls for spending about $2.4 billion in revenue from the so-called millionaire's tax. That's about $450 million more than each chamber initially budgeted for, but it's in line with how much budget writers said they expect to collect from the tax next year. A recent report from the business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation predicts that revenues could come in $600 million lower in FY26 than the state's budget writers estimated earlier this year when they first built out their budgets — and that's before adding the impact of tariffs, the congressional budget reconciliation bill or a potential recession. The megabill is still making its way through the Senate. The chamber is set to begin its vote-a-rama — a marathon series of amendment votes — this morning as Democrats look to point out some of the more unpopular measures that might make it into the final bill. Depending on how things shake out, that state could end up seeing revenues come in $1 billion lower than they anticipated at the state of this year, according to the MTF report. Rodrigues and House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz are still bracing for impact from D.C. and both left the door open to tweaks to the state's spending plan down the road. 'Because of the uncertainty and not knowing exactly where it's all going to officially land when it comes to things like Medicaid or other initiatives, will we have to come back and have conversations? I'd be naive to say that that won't happen,' Michlewitz told Playbook. GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. How did negotiators get an agreement on time this year? Rodrigues said it's partly thanks to the policy-light proposals both chambers put forward this year. 'Both versions of the budget were very lean on major policy proposals, and a couple of the policy proposals that are a little more heavy lifts — that are going to require a little more time to really deep dive into the details — we held aside,' he said. Even with the on-time agreement, it's unlikely the budget will officially be in place before the July 1 start of the fiscal year tomorrow, since Healey has 10 days to review it. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attend a groundbreaking for the Mary Ellen McCormack housing development at 10 a.m. in Boston. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@ DATELINE BEACON HILL — Healey slams Trump for canceling $45M to protect farms, forests and wetlands in WMass and beyond by John L. Micek, MassLive: 'The Trump White House's decision to pull the plug on more than $45 million in already awarded federal funds to protect farms, wetlands, and forests across the Bay State threatens jobs and leaves the state vulnerable to natural disasters, the Healey administration said Friday.' WATCH — Gov. Maura Healey talked energy costs, tax policy and more on WBZ's 'Keller @ Large,' Sunday. Link. — Velis, Domb lead new state commission tackling xylazine crisis in drug supply by Grace Chai, Daily Hampshire Gazette. YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Boston City Councilors Gabriela Coletta Zapata and Enrique Pepén and state Rep. Sam Montaño are endorsing Councilor Henry Santana for reelection in Boston's crowded at-large race. Henry has carved a lane for himself that is representative of populations often missing in city government,' Montaño said in a statement. 'His voice and work have added to the vitality of our city, and I look forward to continuing to work with him for a better Boston for everyone.' WHERE REPUBLICANS ARE RUNNING — Multiple Republicans have already jumped in the governor's race, but candidates are looking at some of the other statewide races too, MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale said Sunday during an interview on WCVB's 'On the Record.' Keep eye out for Republican candidates for treasurer, attorney general and Senate — plus some of the U.S. House seats. Watch here FROM THE HUB — Amid housing crisis, Boston's building boom has gone cold. How much of that is due to Mayor Wu? by Andrew Brinker and Catherine Carlock, The Boston Globe: 'Just a few years ago, Boston's skyline was dotted with cranes, the visual manifestation of a building boom reshaping the city. Today, those cranes are all but gone. And construction, particularly of new housing, has fallen sharply. Amid a shortage that has driven rents skyward and pushed some residents from the city, less new housing began construction in 2023 and 2024 than in any year since 2011, city data show. Nationally, Boston is building fewer homes than many other peer cities, including Seattle and Washington, D.C. It is a difficult reality for Mayor Michelle Wu, who, as a candidate, made tackling the city's housing crisis a top priority. Four years later, development has slowed, and rents have gone up by roughly 12 percent.' — Boston's Mass and Cass plan a failure, admits top Wu official amid complaints of 'out-of-control' drug use by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: 'A top Wu administration official admitted that the city's plan to tackle the open-air drug market at Mass and Cass has failed after being bombarded by complaints from residents who say the spillover into their neighborhoods is 'out of control.' The admission from Boston Public Health Commissioner Bisola Ojikutu at a South End community meeting swiftly led to elected officials from the area calling for the Wu administration to 'reevaluate' a city plan that began with the removal of tent encampments in late 2023 and 'has not worked.'' — Many of the more than 58,000 laid-off federal workers are looking to move to Boston by Maren Halpin, The Boston Globe: 'As more than 58,000 laid-off federal workers look for their next move, many have Boston in their sights. … The City of Boston has seen a boom in job applications, with positions that it once struggled to fill now receiving a record amount of interest. In the first quarter of 2025, the city received an all-time high of 39,111 applications, a 60 percent jump from the first quarter of 2024. The largest increase has been in budgeting, procurement, and finance positions, roles that are the closest match to many of the shuttered federal positions, said the city's chief people officer, Alex Lawrence.' PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — MassDOT plans to keep Route 6 bridge open during heat waves by Grace Ferguson, The New Bedford Light: 'Transportation officials are making a plan to prevent the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge from getting stuck again during the next heat wave. The bridge was closed for several hours at a time on Tuesday and Wednesday because temperatures in the 90s made the metal structure expand. That meant the 126-year-old swing bridge couldn't open and close throughout the day as it normally does — so transportation officials left the bridge open to boats, but not to vehicle traffic, when temperatures peaked.' — Tariffs will 'negatively impact' MBTA rail car construction, Chinese firm says by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald: 'The Trump administration's trade war with China and across-the-board tariff policies will have a negative impact on the production of Orange and Red Line MBTA train cars, according to the Chinese-owned firm building the cars in Springfield. A spokesperson for the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation's Bay State subsidiary, CRRC MA, said the company is committed to seeing an already overdue and over-cost agreement to build new train cars for the MBTA through to the end — but noted shifting U.S. trade policies will inevitably affect their work.' FROM THE DELEGATION — Solar incentive cuts could hit 7 Massachusetts school projects, U.S. senators say by Spencer Buell, The Boston Globe: 'Cuts to renewable energy credits in the budgets proposed by House and Senate Republicans would put at risk hundreds of solar projects at schools, say Democrats opposed to repealing the incentives. That includes seven solar panel projects at elementary schools in Massachusetts, according to Senators Ed Markey, Chuck Schumer, and Ron Wyden, who compiled a list of schools with solar installations in the works in a letter sent Friday to Republican House and Senate leadership and President Trump.' FROM THE 413 — Pittsfield mayor says homelessness plan may evolve, but action is needed by Claire O'Callahan, The Berkshire Eagle: 'Pittsfield Mayor Peter Marchetti says his proposed camping ordinance is meant to protect public spaces and downtown vitality, not punish the homeless. In a meeting with The Eagle, he said he's open to amendments, including expanded shelter access.' THE LOCAL ANGLE — Councilors call on Mayor Coogan to uphold city charter by Emily Scherny, The Herald News: 'City councilors are calling on their executive counterparts in the Coogan administration to abide by specific rules and regulations in the city's 2017 Home Rule Charter to review the city's boards and have the council approve contracts. In the charter, legal guidelines mandate, rather than 'suggest,' that a five-member committee be assembled to review the city's boards and commissions that contain multiple members, in the effort to ensure compliance, verify their purpose and evaluate their scope — reducing waste while boosting efficiency. — In wake of failed overrides, B-R comes back with compromise budget. Will towns go for it? by Daniel Schemer, Taunton Daily Gazette: ''What we're voting for here is not in the best interest for our kids. But we need to retain who we can retain,' said Rachel King, chair of the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School Committee, right before the board begrudgingly approved a new operating budget proposal for the schools — one drastically lower than what they initially put out. This vote came Thursday, June 26, on the heels of both towns rejecting a pair of Proposition 2 ½ overrides that would have provided close to $10 million in additional funds for the schools — to help retain staff, add additional staff, improve special needs services and reduce class sizes. The new budget proposal is millions of dollars less than the overrides would have provided the schools but $2.4 million more than the towns of Bridgewater and Raynham have already agreed to — meaning, the new budget is subject to approval by both towns.' — Peabody approves school, city budget after contentious budget season by Caroline Enos, The Salem News: 'The City Council approved the school district's $99 million budget and the city's overall $207.8 million budget for fiscal 2026 Thursday night. The city's total education spending will be just under $106 million when adding in Peabody's Essex Tech assessment, which the council also approved.' — Worcester became a transgender 'sanctuary city' but community says more must be done by Adam Bass, MassLive. HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Diane Asadorian Masters, Stephanie Miliano, BHA Administrator Kenzie Bok, Plymouth County Register of Probate Matthew McDonough and Daniel Goldhagen.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mass. AG Campbell vows to fight on after Supreme Court hands Trump birthright citizenship win
While expressing disappointment with Friday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the birthright citizenship case, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell is confident states will 'absolutely be successful' in defeating President Donald Trump's executive order in court. In a 6-3 decision Friday, the Supreme Court handed a win to the Trump administration in the much-anticipated birthright citizenship case, while simultaneously not ruling on the birthright issue directly. The court ruled that individual judges lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions, which have effectively blocked many of Trump's policies since he took office in January. The ruling means injunctions would only apply to plaintiffs in the specific lawsuits at hand. The decision left unclear the fate of Trump's restrictions on birthright citizenship. Read more: Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions, but fate of Trump birthright citizenship order unclear The court's conservative majority left open the possibility that Trump's changes — an executive order signed on his first day in office that would deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of people who are in the country illegally — could remain blocked nationwide. Speaking alongside fellow Democratic attorneys general from Connecticut, New Jersey, California and Washington, Campbell on Friday said Trump cannot change the U.S. Constitution, in this case the 14th Amendment, with the 'simple strike of a pen.' 'Millions of Americans can trace their citizenship back to immigrant ancestors who helped build this country (and) fuel our economy under the protections of the 14th Amendment,' she said. 'Deeply disappointed' that the Supreme Court did not decide that a nationwide injunction is warranted in the case, Campbell said she and other attorneys general who have sued will press on for the more than 150,000 babies born in the U.S. every year into birthright citizenship. Campbell also addressed the state-by-state patchwork legal issues potentially created by Friday's ruling. 'Citizenship does not depend on whether a baby is born in New Hampshire or Massachusetts,' she said. 'People move, they live along state borders, they're born in hospitals outside the state they live in. A baby's citizenship should not, cannot and must not be determined by the borders of the state they find themselves in at the time of birth. And that's why the district court initially granted nationwide relief because they understood that to be true.' Immigrant rights groups and 22 states had sued over Trump's order, and four federal judges, including one in Boston, subsequently blocked it from going into effect. On Truth Social, Trump hailed Friday's ruling as a 'GIANT WIN.' Material from the Associated Press was used in this story. Chicopee's next budget is 6% hike from this year. Here's where spending has increased Trump says he's terminating trade talks with Canada over tax on technology firms Mass. lawmakers get a deal; gun for first on-time (ish) state budget in years 'You have been the worst': Secretary Hegseth blasts former Fox colleague Healey slams Trump for canceling $45M to protect farms, forests and wetlands in WMass and beyond Read the original article on MassLive.


E&E News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Blue states launch latest legal challenge to Trump funding cuts
Nearly two dozen Democratic attorneys general are teaming up to challenge the Trump administration's rationale for slashing billions of dollars of federal grant funding for states and other recipients. The new lawsuit filed in a Massachusetts federal district court on Tuesday is the latest in a series of court battles over the administration's 'slash-and-burn campaign' to freeze congressionally mandated funding for programs that do everything from ensuring clean drinking water to reducing asthma risks. 'On top of causing dangerous chaos and confusion, these cuts are simply illegal. Congress has the power of the purse, and the president cannot cut billions of dollars of essential resources simply because he doesn't like the programs being funded,' said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading the suit along with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. Advertisement The lawsuit, unlike other pending challenges, does not ask a federal court to restore canceled grant funding. Instead, it asks for a judge to weigh in on the Trump administration's reliance on a clause in a 2020 regulation that states agencies can cancel grant funding that 'no longer effectuates … agency priorities.'