When asked about one of the biggest, and longest running, environmental issues in the Berkshires—cleaning up the Housatonic River from PCB pollution dumped decades ago by General Electric—Gonzalez said he agrees with local communities and the EPA that the toxins should be “safely disposed offsite.”
Among the issues Amatul-Wadud 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.
Fighting climate change can mean everything from sealing up drafty houses and driving an electric vehicle to keeping up with a fossil-free push that is gaining steam worldwide.
Markey cited solar and wind power as future drivers of the economy and he questioned why the Trump administration did not see it as a source of jobs for unemployed workers, especially the blue-collar workers Trump purports to represent.
The one-year contract will offer lower prices on wind power than both standard and green rates offered by National Grid, according to town manager Jennifer Tabakin.
State Sen. Adam Hinds: "If anybody's learned anything from this election, it's that elections have consequences – serious policy consequences. They are absolutely gutting the EPA at a rate that even the most pessimistic person would be surprised about right now." Hinds was also sharply critical of the state in allowing the pipeline project to move through the Otis State Forest, which is state-owned land ostensibly protected from development.
In the spotlight, State Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Pacheco kept his cool as, one by one, residents stood up to complain about the sound pollution and visual impact of wind turbines.
The Children’s Study Home will celebrate the opening of its Berkshire campus, located at the site of the former Eagleton School, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 29.
I want to be able to write a letter to future generations that tells proudly how in my time, we stood up in the face of impending disaster and made the necessary changes in lifestyle, industry and economy.
“The wind turbine is better than mowing down 200 acres of trees for a solar array, and has minimal impact to the environment for the same amount of electricity.”
-- Chris Bouchard, former highway superintendent and member of the Energy Committee.
“I’m here today because I cannot look my daughter in the eye if I have not tried to protect her future while our leaders on every level fail to act on climate change. We must not let [our leaders] act for the short-term gain of a few.”
-- Anne Goodwin, of Mothers Out Front
In her letter, Edge environmental correspondent Mary Douglas writes: "Kinder Morgan would realize a 10 to 14 percent annual return on its investment as a regulated monopoly for the life of the pipeline — 100 years or more ... However, there is plenty of time to put together alternatives, such as a mix of renewables, demand reduction, energy efficiency, market adjustments."
