Important Updates: November meeting, PIP plan, and Climate bill
/We have decided that our November meeting will be postponed until the January date of 1/13/26. While this seems like a long way off, we are sure we will all be busy through the holidays and that it will come in no time at all!
However, we do have some important information to share with you and some action items for your consideration as well.
A) The Public Involvement Plan is moving along with remediation. You can read the latest document here MCP-Response SEIR 2025-10-31. Comments are due no later than December 8, 2025. Please address your comments to Eva.Vaughan@mass.gov.
To give you an example of comments made:
I write in support of the project--clean the beach and add cobbles to improve the beach.
I would like the report to be a little clearer on the re-planting of native trees and the watering plan after replanting trees and shrubs.
I have heard from Weymouth Conservation Commission and Calpine, and they, like the community, are supportive of the ugly barbed wire fence coming down. Please commit to doing this in the filing more explicitly.
In Figure 2.1 Construction Vehicle Routes, there is an error. Route 3 to the Mass Pike Westbound is not allowed. Hayward Street and Elm Street in Braintree commercial vehicles over 2 and ½ tons are excluded on school days, 8 AM to 9:30 AM and 2 PM to 3:30 PM. Ross School is on Hayward Street and is in an environmental justice community for minority and English isolation. Ross School is a walking school - no buses go to the school, and it is a MassDOT Safe Routes to School pedestrian program. We urge Algonquin to adjust the route to send trucks via Washington Street to McGrath Highway to Burgin Parkway in Quincy or Quincy Ave and Union Street in Braintree.
B) Rep. Mark Cusack, the House Chair of Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy (TUE). has recently pushed through legislation (H.3469) that would effectively tear down the major environmental bill passed in 2021 https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-clean-energy-and-climate-plan-for-2050 --also known as the Roadmap Bill. Rep. Cusack has allowed the gas lobby to write their wish list into a bill that will expand gas pipelines, ignore environmental justice, and trash the CO2 limits set within the Roadmap and the Global Warming Solutions Act. Further, we have been warned that Cusack's bill will bring back the Pipeline Tax that was successfully shut down by the SJC in August of 2016 after protracted actions by all of the environmental activist communities in MA and with the legal assistance of Conservation Law Foundation. This is a Red Alert, Campers! The hearing was on Thursday 11/13, and the bill is now in Ways and Means. There is full pushback by all of the environmental community, but more voices need to be heard.
Locally on Ways and Means, we have Reps. Patrick Kearney (617-722-2017) of Scituate and our friend Rep. Jim Hawkins (617-722-2013) of Attleboro. If you have a moment, please reach out to them and express your disapproval of Rep. Cusack's legislation. Also reach out to your local representatives to voice your opinions before this terrible bill comes to a vote. Our goal is to kill it in committee, but we must be prepared for a larger fight.
To get a better understanding of what Cusack's betrayal will mean, here are just a few articles:
Energy industry pads lawmakers coffers
Sweeping energy bill to weaken 2030 climate goals
Please also call Rep.Cusack's (617-722-2030) office to express your disgust with his movement to destroy not only our environment but our economy!
C) And finally, from our friends at CREW:
Hey Friend,
I have frustrating news: last night, MA Senate Chair Rausch of the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources launched a poll to send the Climate Superfund/Make Polluters Pay bill to study. This is how they quietly kill bills.
Most worrisome, she did this the night before we were set to meet with her staff to address her concerns on the bill.
We have to stop this effort to kill the Make Polluters Pay bill and urge a favorable report. You've already done so much for this campaign but the only way these sneaky politicians will do what we need them to do is if we continue to apply pressure.
Please take a moment to contact your Senators directly to urge ENR members to vote no on this study order. If you are a constituent of Senators Tarr, Moore, or Fernandes, your voice is particularly important.
Thank you for your continued support.
In solidarity,
Rachael
We know this is a lot to take in just before the holidays, but isn't this just what the industry and its puppet politicians do to us every time?!?! Keep calm and carry on, Fore River Campers. We will prevail.
Thank you for all that you do!
The FRRACS Team