Latest news with #BonnieHeiple
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
Healey finds $46 million more for EV charging as Trump tries to slash funding
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The new funding, overseen by the state's Department of Environmental Protection, adds to a Advertisement 'We're building on what works and what has worked for us already,' DEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple said in an interview. 'We need to find ways to make chargers accessible to people who have EVs now or want them in the near future.' Advertisement Meanwhile, the Trump administration has The number of public fast chargers for electric vehicles has nearly tripled in Massachusetts in the past two years to almost 1,500 — and market leader The 216-page assessment from the Advertisement The lack of chargers for trucks along many highways and for people parking on the street 'are the two most important gaps to address,' according to the report from the coordinating council, which includes representatives of most major state agencies, the MBTA, and the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission. Many Massachusetts businesses that rely on trucks 'You know, if you haven't built it, how will they come?' she said. 'Building out that charging infrastructure takes the wind out of the sails of any argument that we're not ready yet.' The council report also called for existing programs, such as the utilities' offerings, to be more focused on needy areas. Eversource and National Grid, the state's two largest utilities, have already exhausted the funds they budgeted in 2024 for subsidizing public fast chargers. But some chargers built with the utility backing would have been built without subsidies, while areas such as along highways in the western and central parts of the state have been left out, according to Assistant Secretary of Energy Josh Ryor, who chairs the council. 'Let's make sure we're deploying these things quickly while also making sure that we're deploying in the areas that have the greatest value to EV drivers,' Ryor said. That could mean encouraging fast chargers built with utility subsidies to areas within 1.5 miles of a highway or in dense residential neighborhoods, he said. Advertisement The report included projections showing increasing demand from EV charging could require upgrades to the state's electrical grid. In a worst case scenario, if all new EV drivers charged at peak times, more than one-quarter of the state's substations would need to be upgraded by 2035. But incentivizing drivers to charge at off-peak times could reduce the number of substation upgrades to as few as 1 out of every 16. The current forecast for 10,500 fast chargers in 2035 should help set priorities, but the exact number needed a decade from now could change, Ryor said. The council is required to report on the state's EV charging infrastructure every two years. 'One of the beauties of having this assessment every two years is we're able to incorporate the best information that we have,' he said. 'There's no one North Star for the number of chargers that we need.' Aaron Pressman can be reached at
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Healey administration awards grants to improve water supply in Ipswich River communities
BOSTON (WWLP) – The Healey-Driscoll administration has awarded nearly $1 million in grants to five communities in the Ipswich River Basin to improve their public water supplies. Deerfield to vote on lowering town election age The administration announced on Monday that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) administered $950,000 in grants to five communities. This is the second year of the grant program, which intends to protect the aquatic ecosystems of the Ipswich River Basin and improve long-term water supply for the residents in the region. Through this funding, these communities and water suppliers can remove polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from drinking water. According to MassDEP, these 'forever chemicals' are persistent and harmful and can cause adverse health outcomes to residents if not removed. 'This funding will provide communities with the tools they need to design and construct infrastructure to preserve current water supplies, build interconnections to share neighboring supplies, and address PFAS contamination,' said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. 'The Ipswich River Basin has unique drinking water challenges, and we are committed to supporting communities in addressing harmful PFAS in our drinking water.' The grant funds were awarded to the following communities and water suppliers: Modeling and Connection to Salem Beverly Water Supply Board (SBWSB) by Hamilton and Wenham: $279,775 MWRA Connection, Town of Wilmington: $154,208 PFAS Treatment, Town of Ipswich: $370,000 Construction of an Alternative Source Interconnection, Lynnfield Center Water District (LCWD): $138,160 For more information on the 2025 grant program and the projects these communities plan to implement, visit WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Healey awards environment restoration funds following Colrain acid spill
COLRAIN, Mass. (WWLP) – The Healey-Driscoll administration has awarded funds to the Connecticut River Conservancy to assist in restoring natural resources damaged by an acid spill in Colrain. An environmental restoration project has been ongoing following an acid spill from the Barnhardt Manufacturing Facilities in 2019, and the surrounding ecosystem has continued to be impacted as a result. Sewage spill stopped in Connecticut River after DEEP makes repair The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) said that the acid spill soaked into the ground and flowed into the North River, damaging over 14 acres of sensitive cold-water fishery habitat and wetland resources, including the habitat of two state-listed rare species. Through the MassDEP Natural Resources Damages Program, the Healey-Driscoll administration has used settlement funds to award a grant of $224,100 to help restore and repair these damages. Using the grant funds, the town of Colrain and the Connecticut River Conservancy plan to hire a consultant to design the removal of the Colrain Lower Reservoir Dam and stabilize stream banks adjacent to the fire station. The projects will benefit the North River's fisheries, aquatic life, wetlands, and sediment. 'For decades, the North River watershed served as a habitat for fish and wildlife, and a recreational resource for fishing, hunting, and shellfishing,' said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. 'We are grateful to be working with the Connecticut River Conservancy and the Town of Colrain to improve water quality and fish habitat in the North River. By working together, we will restore natural resources in Colrain.' WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
