WE NEW ENGLANDERS have a spectacular opportunity to move rapidly from polluting fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. This transition will benefit us all: It will slow climate change, reduce pollution, save lives, and preserve New England’s beautiful environment for our children and their children. A wholesale transition to renewable energy will also save us […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Why I like Baker’s political playbook
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S announcement opting against an unprecedented third term in the corner office was handled in the same manner he has led the Commonwealth: thoughtful, human, calm, and without bombast or political malice. In other words, it was brimming with the characteristics that have enabled a Republican governor in an overwhelmingly Democratic state to […]
Posted inOpinion
‘Build Back Better’ must preserve housing provisions
BUYING A HOME in Mattapan is hard. Prices are high and inventory is low. The same is true throughout the greater Boston area. And if you are a person of color, the numbers are stacked against you. Homeownership rates for white households in Massachusetts approach 70 percent while just 35 percent of Black, Latinx, and […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. egg market about to get scrambled
EGGS ARE A SYMBOL of birth, rebirth, and hope and are featured in recorded history of ancient cultures in Greece and China. In Massachusetts, however, eggs are currently a symbol of our fractured polity. Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly passed a referendum in 2016 intended to ensure humane treatment of egg-laying hens. That law will take effect […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. urgently needs a Plan B for TCI
THE CANCELLATION of the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), a centerpiece of the Commonwealth’s efforts to combat climate change, is deeply disappointing, because transportation causes over 40 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts. Political leaders in most of the participating states, including Gov. Charlie Baker, have demonstrated a lack of political courage to confront the […]
Posted inOpinion
Learning the ins and outs of charging your car
OVER THE NEXT few weeks, thousands of motorists will be traveling the highways of Massachusetts and beyond to see friends and family for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Amidst the multiple stops for fuel and snacks will be the occasional range anxiety that occurs when one is driving with a dwindling fuel tank while hoping […]
Posted inOpinion
The all-EV approach won’t work
THERE’S A LOT of federal and municipal leadership in Massachusetts working hard to address the existential problem of global warming and the local public health crisis being caused by long-term exposure to particulate matter. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has taken swift action to move the Green New Deal from rhetoric to reality by signing a […]
Posted inOpinion
Benjamin LaGuer and the cruel reality of medical parole
THE CRUELTY Benjamin LaGuer endured through a lifetime of privation, isolation, and vilification lasted until the day he died in prison in the early morning hours after the 2020 election when the networks were calling Arizona for Joe Biden. Whether you believe LaGuer was innocent or guilty of the charges against him, the end of […]
Posted inOpinion
Apprenticeships create new pathways into life sciences
DURING THIS EXCITING time of growth for biotech and the life sciences industry in Massachusetts, the future of this industry depends on growing the pool of trained, qualified workers. Currently, the biotech industry employs approximately 90,000 individuals in Massachusetts, and we expect – at minimum – an additional 20,000 jobs to be created over the […]
Posted inOpinion
Power grid operator needs a makeover
THE LARGEST OFFSHORE wind project in the nation is coming to the waters off Massachusetts, setting our Commonwealth up to be a global leader in clean energy that can deliver on the promise of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating good-paying green jobs across the state. But to get there, and to pave the way […]