Latest news with #MassReadyAct
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
After recent floods, Legislature must act now to strengthen climate resilience
These incidents are becoming These costs in life, property, and infrastructure are why the Massachusetts Legislature needs to take action now to build climate resilience. Governor Maura Healey's Advertisement It includes elements to support biodiversity and food security, remove excess carbon pollution, and support other resilience measures. However, two key areas of the proposal need to be improved: strengthening building codes and funding property buyouts in flood-prone areas. The state's building code does not adequately account for the risks posed by climate change. One way to address this in the Mass Ready Act is through a 'stretch' resilience code, like what the state has done with building energy codes. In Massachusetts, cities and towns cannot adopt stricter building codes than the state, so the state offers incentives to cities and towns to adopt a stricter state 'stretch' code. Massachusetts adopted an energy stretch code in 2009 and strengthened it to support even higher efficiency standards in 2024. Since then, Boston and Cambridge have already taken steps toward better flood resilience. Boston has created a special zoning district to ensure that new construction in flood-prone areas meets higher standards for flood protection. These measures include requirements for elevated buildings and materials that can withstand flooding. In February 2023, Cambridge adopted flood resilience Advertisement Another component of the Mass Ready Act that needs strengthening is the approach to properties in flood-prone areas. The American way has been to act in defiance of extreme weather events, boldly stating, 'We will rebuild.' But it's time to consider that some places may no longer be safe to rebuild in. A few US Massachusetts has The impacts of climate change are already here. The Mass Ready Act is a crucial step in combatting its effects, but it needs to be stronger and more comprehensive. The Legislature should act now, before the next disaster strikes. Advertisement
Boston Globe
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Healey's $3B bill seeks to future-proof Mass. against flash floods and more
If passed by the Legislature, the so-called 'Mass Ready Act' would be a historic investment in climate-readiness, said Stephanie Cooper, the state's undersecretary for the environment — 'the biggest ever.' Advertisement During a six hour hearing Tuesday before the joint Environment and Natural Resources Committee, the overwhelming reception for the bill was positive, said Senator Rebecca Rausch of Needham, the committee's co-chair. 'The base has a lot of really strong pieces in it,' she said. 'I'm looking forward to kind of digging in further and to building upon it.' But in some cases — such as the availability of grants for local preparedness, the mitigation of air pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods, and the protection of nature — advocates say it doesn't go far enough. Advertisement The Nature For Massachusetts Coalition, made up of more than 40 local environmental groups, said the bill doesn't provide sufficient funds for the acquisition, restoration, or improvement of nature, which is necessary for many reasons including the sequestration of carbon. The bill includes $340 million for the five-year term of the bond, but Sam Anderson, director of legislative and government affairs at Mass Audubon, which is a member of the coalition, said that's 'a fraction of what's needed to actually meet our goals.' At the hearing, many speakers voiced support for increased funding for the state's Related : The act includes $93 million in authorization for seawalls and dam repairs and upgrades, and it establishes a $200 million 'Resilience Revolving Fund' that would provide low-interest loans to municipalities, tribal governments, and water and wastewater districts to improve stormwater systems, restore natural systems, and enhance infrastructure that can reduce flood and heat risks. As the revolving fund loans get repaid, the money can be loaned out again. It's a program modeled after existing revolving funds for clean water and drinking water, which have seen that for every dollar of initial state and federal investment over the lifetime of the program, three dollars have gone out in loans, according to Antos. A $3 billion bill may seem hefty, but spending this money on prevention now could save a lot down the line by readying the state for the increased extreme weather events triggered by a warming planet, state officials and advocates said. Advertisement Already, there's proof. An earlier culvert replacement program swapped undersized culverts — which couldn't handle increased stream flow during heavy rain events, leading to flooded out roads — with ones that were properly sized. As a result of those changes, roads that previously flooded out repeatedly 'have not overtopped since, said Katherine Antos, the state's undersecretary of decarbonization and resilience. 'They were able to withstand the 2023 and subsequent storm events that we have had,' she said. In some ways, the bill is innovating, by proposing big, pricey investments in resilience. In others — as with the requirement that flood risk is disclosed to homebuyers and renters — it's catching up. 'Honestly, Massachusetts was behind what many other states have done in terms of requiring flood disclosures,' Antos said. As the legislature continues to work on the bill, Rausch said she's hoping one issue that's not currently included — plastics — gets added in. 'We certainly heard in the testimony … about reducing our reliance on fossil fuels,' Rausch said. That goes beyond energy. 'With 99 percent of plastics originating with fossil fuels, we have to address particularly single-use plastics,' she said. Related : If passed, this would be the fourth successive major climate bill, building on legislation that has set ambitious, legally binding targets for cutting climate-warming pollutions, bolstered the offshore wind industry and other clean energy resources, and streamlined regulatory processes to allow for more clean energy to power the state. But it would be the first passed during the new Trump administration, when federal funds for climate resilience and clean energy are being eliminated. Advertisement 'We know that we can't fully fill the hole that the federal government is leaving,' Cooper said. 'But we know that it's that much more important for us to invest, and to do it really wisely.' Sabrina Shankman can be reached at
Politico
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Secretary of state race stirring
2026 WATCH — There's one potential significant Democratic primary brewing for next year: State Sen. Becca Rausch has been fielding calls about running for secretary of state, according to a person familiar with the situation. Rausch's interest in serving as the state's top elections official wouldn't be coming out of left field: The Needham Democrat is pushing several election reform bills this session, including wide-ranging legislation that would 'make several sorely needed improvements to voting access and elections infrastructure,' according to the bill summary. Secretary of State Bill Galvin hasn't officially said whether he'll seek another term, but multiple #mapoli observers we checked in with expect him to run again next year. Galvin broke the record to become the longest-serving secretary of state in Massachusetts when he won his eighth term in 2022. Galvin has fended off a series of primaries from younger, more progressive challengers in recent years — mostly recently from the NAACP's Tanisha Sullivan in 2022 and from then-Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim in 2018. Raucsh has been steadily padding her campaign coffers in recent months — she had more than $113,000 on hand at the end of June. But that's likely to be far less than Galvin, who had more than $1.8 million in his campaign account at the end of last month. GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Meanwhile in New Hampshire … A group of prominent Democrats in the Granite State is launching a campaign to bring Democrats with national profiles to the early primary voting state with an eye toward 2026 — and 2028. Rep. Ro Khanna will kick off the town hall-style series Aug. 31, and more meetings are in the works for the fall, organizers told Playbook. Jim Demers, a longtime Democratic strategist and former New Hampshire state representative, is leading the effort along with New Hampshire state Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, state Rep. Alexis Simpson, and Democratic National Committee members Bill Shaheen, Donna Soucy and Joanne Dowdell. The goal isn't just to draw presidential hopefuls to New Hampshire amid a battle over the state's longtime 'first-in-the-nation' primary status, though some involved are pushing to bring the long-standing tradition back to New Hampshire. While some of the speakers 'may see it as an audition for 2028,' Demers told Playbook, 'I think we really see it as an opportunity to make the voters aware that the Democratic Party is alive and we have leaders who are willing to stand up on the issues they care about.' The conversations, hosted at St. Anselm College in Manchester in conjunction with the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, will have two parts: A reception where voters can meet and lob questions at the visiting politician and a traditional town hall. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll testifies on the Mass Ready Act, Healey's infrastructure bond bill, at 1 p.m. at the State House. Sen. Ed Markey hosts a press conference announcing the reintroduction of the State-Based Universal Health Care Act at 9:30 a.m. in D.C. Rep. Ayanna Pressley hosts a press conference to launch a Community Safety Agenda at 2 p.m. in D.C. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu kicks off the third phase of a program that uses city-owned land to create homeownership opportunities at noon in Dorchester. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@ DATELINE BEACON HILL CASH DASH — A group of lawyers and energy executives is hosting a 'Clean Energy Leaders for Maura' fundraiser Thursday in Boston, per the invite. Among those listed on the host committee: Alicia Barton, the CEO of Vineyard Offshore, an offshore wind company founded by the same team that established Vineyard Wind; Dan Berwick, the CEO New Leaf Energy; and former Somerville Mayor Joe Curatone, now president of The Alliance for Climate Transition. Suggested donations range from $250 to $2,500. — Healey cost-cutting plan gets cool treatment from Mariano by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: 'The top House Democrat will need to 'think long and hard' about Gov. Maura Healey's request for additional cost-cutting powers over the state budget as Beacon Hill braces for potential fiscal upheaval. Ten days after Healey rolled out her budget vetoes and new legislation designed to prepare for federal funding cuts, House Speaker Ron Mariano said he and his team had not yet talked much about what kind of response they will offer.' MORE — Gov. Healey had quasi-public agencies in mind amid push to expand budget cutting powers by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: 'As [Gov. Maura] Healey signed a $61 billion yearly spending plan earlier this month, she also filed legislation to grant her more authority to slash spending across all of state government instead of just the executive branch that she oversees. Her office argued that Massachusetts could face fiscal troubles as a result of actions taken by President Donald Trump over the past seven months. After an unrelated event at the State House Monday, Healey said the same budget-cutting rules that apply to executive branch agencies should apply to quasi-public agencies.' TRAVEL LOG — After her office declined to share details while she was away, Gov. Maura Healey told reporters Monday that she spent the last week in France with her family and returned Saturday. More from the Boston Herald. — Drought management not included in Healey's $3 billion environmental bond bill by Bhaamati Borkhetaria, CommonWealth Beacon. WHAT'S ON CAMPBELL'S DOCKET — Campbell, state AGs sue Trump over $6.8B in frozen school funds by John L. Micek, MassLive: 'Democratic attorneys general and two governors from two dozen states sued the Trump administration on Monday, arguing the Republican White House unconstitutionally froze more than $6 billion in public school funding. The loss of the cash, previously approved by Congress, threw a wrench into summer and after-school programs across the country, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell and several of her colleagues said during a news conference. The Bay State's share came out to $108 million, according to the Healey administration.' THE RACE FOR CITY HALL FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll are endorsing Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne for reelection, according to her campaign. Ballantyne is 'the proven leader we need at the local level to support our administration's efforts to reduce the cost of housing, grow our economy, tackle climate change and increase opportunities for all,' Healey and Driscoll said in a statement. — Longtime New Bedford City Councilor Linda Morad to retire by Colin Hogan, The New Bedford Light:. — Bike lanes are a hot topic in the race for Boston's top office by Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez, WBUR. PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — Study shows MBTA costs way up since spending control board disbanded by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald: 'The cost of running the MBTA has climbed dramatically since the phase out of the agency's Fiscal and Management Control Board, according to a new study by the Pioneer Institute. While the study acknowledges that there have been notable improvements to the reliability of subway service and that many of the MBTA's notorious 'slow zones' have been repaired and removed, the system's operating costs have nevertheless grown by leaps and bounds since the control board was eliminated four years ago.' FROM THE DELEGATION — Moulton calls on Democrats to reboot ahead of midterms by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: 'U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton said Democrats need to rebrand their message to focus on the economy, immigration reform and other issues that matter to voters, if they hope to regain control of Congress in next year's midterm elections. Speaking to a gathering of business leaders Monday at the New England Council's 'Capitol Hill Report,' the Salem Democrat said the party's brand is damaged and needs to be rebuilt if it hopes to win control of Congress to push back against President Donald Trump's second-term actions.' FROM THE 413 — Will SBA reopen office in WMass? Lawmakers have questions by Daniel Jackson, The Springfield Republican: 'The head of the U.S. Small Business Administration told lawmakers last month that the agency is looking to reopen an office in Western Massachusetts after cuts in March closed the office in Springfield. The lawmakers, however, remain skeptical. Last week, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., told fellow senators the fate of the Springfield SBA office was one of several matters where he could not get full answers from the agency. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, said in a statement Monday the agency lacked a concrete plan to reopen the office.' — Candidates emerge for town election in Amherst by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'A week after nomination forms for the Nov. 4 election became available at the town clerk's office, and as of Tuesday, eight residents have pulled papers to run for Town Council, which has three at-large seats as well as two seats in each of five districts. For councilor-at-large, incumbent Mandi Jo Hanneke of Foxglove Lane, has gotten nomination papers. Also getting papers are current District 2 Councilor Lynn Griesemer, of Flat Hills Road, Andy Churchill, of Pomeroy Lane, who chaired the Charter Review Committee and previously served on the School Committee, and Dillon Maxfield, of North Pleasant Street, who ran for a council seat seven years ago and has been on the town's Board of License Commissioners.' — Pittsfield narrows its open container law and sets limits on flag displays on city property by Maryjane Williams, The Berkshire Eagle. THE LOCAL ANGLE — Lax oversight of assisted living facilities may have left Gabriel House vulnerable by Marin Wolf, Jason Laughlin and Ava Berger, The Boston Globe: 'The Gabriel House assisted living facility did not perform fire drills or train workers in evacuation procedures and was also understaffed and poorly maintained, according to a current and former employee interviewed in the aftermath of the fatal fire there that killed nine residents. … Advocates for the state's seniors said there are longstanding concerns about lax oversight of assisted living facilities, which offer some personal assistance but not the type of intensive medical care provided at nursing homes.' RELATED — Fall River mayor on fatal fire at assisted living facility by Lisa Mullins, WBUR. — Newton mayor defends yellow line decision ahead of Italian festival by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: 'It wasn't a full 'mi scusi' from Newton's mayor in the wake of LineGate, but she did admit that the city 'missed the mark in communicating' about the decision to remove the red, white, and green street lines ahead of this week's Italian festival. Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller has been facing heat from residents after the city in the middle of the night ordered workers to paint the road lines on Nonantum's Adams Street yellow. … Before the city painted the reflective yellow center lines, Fuller said the city gave the OK for Festa volunteers to repaint the tricolors on Adams Street — moved over by 12″ or 18″ next to the double yellow center lines. The mayor stressed that the decision for yellow lines on the two-way street was for public safety.' — 7 police officers placed on leave after Haverhill man's death by Jill Harmacinski, The Eagle-Tribune: 'Seven city police officers are now on paid leave amid the continuing investigation into the death of Francis Gigliotti, 43, who died while being restrained by police Friday evening. The seven officers were not identified by Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker, who confirmed they were placed on leave after speaking with Haverhill police Chief Robert Pistone early Monday evening.' — A city-owned grocery store in Worcester? Councilor wants to look into it by Afton Pratt, Telegram & Gazette. — Brockton settles whistleblower lawsuit with schools assistant CFO by Chris Helms and Jacob Posner, The Brockton Enterprise. HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Ariel Zirulnick, David Lippman, Jon Hurst, Stefanie Coxe and Allison Godburn.
