Neal challenger Amatul-Wadud to appear in Sheffield
Sheffield — The Sheffield Democratic Committee has announced that Democratic Congressional candidate Tahirah Amatul-Wadud will meet with local residents Monday, July 23, at 6 p.m. at the Bushnell-Sage Library. Her primary opponent, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, has also been invited to speak there but has not yet committed to a date.
Amatul-Wadud, a 44-year-old attorney from Springfield, is an advocate for the rights of women and religious minorities. As an African-American Muslim woman, she is passionate about interfaith outreach to increase religious literacy and diminish divisive rhetoric, according to her website. She serves as legal counsel for religious congregations in Massachusetts and New York to protect the religious freedom rights of all citizens. As a volunteer commissioner for the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, Amatul-Wadud advocates to the state legislature to enact laws responsive to the needs of women and girls.
She is also the mother of seven children, one of whom had lifesaving heart surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. To show her gratitude, she serves on the hospital’s family advisory council. Amatul-Wadud’s law practice focuses on domestic relations and civil rights law. She is a graduate of Elms College in Chicopee and Western New England University School of Law in Springfield. Among the issues she is raising in her run for Congress are climate change; universal public education; and affordable, high-speed internet access for every resident of the 1st Congressional District.
The Sheffield Democratic Committee does not endorse either candidate but wants area residents to be able to hear the views of both. For more information, contact Ben Hillman at (413) 229-3448 or ben@benhillman.com.
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Hinds: FY19 conference budget report approved
Boston — Sen. Adam G. Hinds, D-Pittsfield, has announced that the legislative conference committee tasked with finalizing the state’s fiscal year 2019 budget has completed its efforts and, Wednesday morning, filed its spending plan, H.4800, “An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2019 for the maintenance of the departments, boards, commissions, institutions and certain activities of the Commonwealth, for interest, sinking fund and serial bond requirements and for certain permanent improvements.”
The Massachusetts Senate debated the FY19 budget in May. During that process, Hinds sponsored and co-sponsored a number of amendments that were targeted to advance key priorities throughout his Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden Senate district. Many of those items have been retained in the FY19 final conference budget, including:
- $4.91 billion for Chapter 70 education funding;
- $319.3 million to fully fund the Special Education Circuit Breaker;
- $88 million to fully fund the state’s regional transit authorities, including the Berkshire, Franklin and Pioneer Valley RTAs, along with policy changes to tie future transfers to inflation and create a task force on RTA performance and funding to recommend reforms to service standards and finances;
- $68.9 million to reimburse regional school districts for their transportation costs at a rate of 80 percent;
- $16 million in funding for the arts, humanities, and sciences through the Mass Cultural Council;
- $1.5 million for rural school aid, a new line of financial assistance to support the Commonwealth’s most rural school districts;
- $990,000 for the Community Mediation Center Grant Program administered by the UMass Boston Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration, providing a wide range of affordable mediation services to citizens, courts and communities;
- $350,000 for opioid abuse and prevention services in Berkshire and Franklin counties;
- $100,000 for a subcommittee of the Berkshire FLYER Working Group to ensure pilot passenger rail service is running by 2020, connecting the Berkshires with New York City via a one-seat train ride;
- $75,000 to support operations and programming at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ Gallery 51 in downtown North Adams;
- $50,000 to support operations and programming at the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition;
- $50,000 to support the efforts of the Berkshire County Education Task Force, which is developing a plan to improve cost efficiency for public schools in Berkshire County;
- $35,000 to implement innovative rural transportation solutions in the Berkshires as identified by the Berkshire County Blueprint 2.0, a comprehensive countywide economic development plan;
- $35,000 for the Rites of Passage and Empowerment program in Pittsfield, which provides support mentoring programs for adolescent girls of color;
- Establishment of a working group to review the regulations that govern culvert and small bridge repair and maintenance; and
- A directive to the Department of Unemployment Assistance to develop and approve a waiver for employers experiencing financial hardship due to an Employer Medical Assistance Contribution.
The FY19 conference budget report was adopted by the House of Representatives and Senate Wednesday by votes of 143–6 and 36–1 respectively. Final enactment is required by both chambers before it can be forwarded to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk; this action is expected shortly. The governor has 10 days to review and act on legislation he receives.
Fiscal year 2019 began July 1, 2018. A 1/12 emergency budget was signed into law June 29 to ensure state government operations continued during the first weeks of the new fiscal year while the FY19 budget negotiations continued.
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Massachusetts sees increases in solar, wind power
Boston — Since 2007, Massachusetts has seen a 246-fold increase in the amount of electricity it gets from the sun, according to a new report released Wednesday by Environment Massachusetts Research and Policy Center. The report also highlights advances in the use of energy storage, energy efficiency and electric vehicles.
The “Renewables on the Rise” report comes as the end of the legislative session rapidly approaches and lawmakers in the House and Senate work to find agreement on the provisions of clean energy legislation. The report provides a state-by-state assessment of the growth of key technologies needed to power the nation with clean, renewable energy, including wind, solar, energy efficiency, energy storage and electric vehicles. Massachusetts ranked seventh for solar and first for electricity efficiency savings.
According to the report, Massachusetts is 35th in the nation for the increase in electricity generation from wind between 2008 and 2017. Wind energy generation in Massachusetts is set to increase dramatically in the coming years, with a commitment to install 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind capacity. Next year, Vineyard Wind expects to begin construction on Massachusetts’ first offshore wind farm.
A diverse group of U.S. cities, states, corporations and institutions have committed to 100 percent renewable energy. In 2015, Hawaii became the first state in the country to set a 100 percent renewable electricity requirement, and a similar bill in California cleared major hurdles this year.
In Massachusetts, seven cities and towns have adopted a goal of 100 percent renewable energy, with similar commitments pending in other communities. Boston University and Harvard University have committed to purchasing 100 percent of their electricity from renewable sources, while Hampshire Collegeis already powered entirely by on-campus solar panels.
In June, the Massachusetts Senate passed a bill that would eliminate caps on solar net metering and increase renewable energy to 50 percent of Massachusetts’ electricity consumption by 2030 and 100 percent by 2047. The House has passed a bill for 35 percent renewable electricity by 2030. Tuesday, the Senate and House appointed a conference committee to resolve differences between their bills.
A report by the Applied Economics Clinic found that increasing the renewable portfolio standard by 3 percent per year, along with other clean energy policies, would result in 600,000 fewer metric tons of greenhouse gases per year by 2030 (equivalent to taking 128,000 cars off the road) at little to no additional cost to the public.
