Climate-Oriented Forest Management Guidelines — Public Input Session — September 12, 6:00 pm
An important opportunity to share your perspectives and input on the importance of intact healthy forests in this age of Climate derangement.
Remote Meeting, September 12th, 2023 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM: The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs will be holding a public meeting about a comprehensive effort to conserve and manage forest land in the Commonwealth known as the Forests as Climate Solutions Initiative.
The meeting will be held to seek public input to inform the development of forest management guidelines based on the latest climate science. The guidelines will be applied to forest management on state lands, inform other forest landowners, and serve as the basis for state incentives for adoption of climate-oriented forest management practices.
This meeting is intended to obtain general input on the approach and content of the Guidelines. A second public meeting will be held in November to seek feedback on specific issues related to draft Guidelines.
Written feedback is also welcome. Please send suggestions and ideas to: guidelines@mass.gov
Western Massachusetts Solar Forum — Tuesdays at noon — September 2023
A free, virtual community event
You are cordially invited to attend the Western Massachusetts Solar Forum, which will be held virtually on Tuesdays at noon in September 2023. UMass Clean Energy Extension is currently working with members of the Western Massachusetts state delegation (State Senator Jo Comerford and State Representative Mindy Domb), as well as a planning committee of solar photovoltaic (PV) stakeholders and experts, to plan the Forum. Please join us for a series of online public discussions and information-sharing sessions regarding the opportunities and challenges associated with solar PV development and installation in western Massachusetts.
https://www.amherstindy.org/2023/08/18/western-massachusetts-solar-forum-in-september/
June 2023–Remove Biomass options from state bills
The NoToxicBiomass Campaign’s two priority bills will be heard at hearings on Wednesday, June 28th. The Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (TUE) Committees have scheduled a 10:00 am hearing (House) and a 1:00 pm hearing (Senate) that will include:
- S.2136/H.3210 closes the loophole that counts biomass as “non-carbon emitting” energy in the new Municipal Light Plants greenhouse gas emissions standard
- S.2137/H.3211 ends subsidies for commercial-scale wood heating systems through Massachusetts’ alternative portfolio standard (APS)
To speak at the hearings, the deadlines to sign up are: June 26th at 5:00 pm for the 10am hearing; June 28th at 11:00am. for the 1:00 pm hearing.
Last year our campaign succeeded in stopping subsidies for wood-burning power plants in Massachusetts’ renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS). Now it’s time to finish the job and stop subsidizing burning wood for energy in Massachusetts’ other clean energy programs!
Please sign up to testify and/or submit written comments in support of these bills. You can testify in person or virtually, and/or submit written comments. Submit testimony separately to the House and the Senate TUE committees.
The deadline for written comments is Friday June 30th at 5:00pm. Click here for talking points on the bills.
- Other actions you can take are:
- Ask your state reps to cosponsor the bills
- Sign on to a group letter to TUE supporting the bills (organizations only)
For more information and for talking points, please visit the NoToxicBiomass website
June 2023 — Put Solar in the right places, where installations make sense
Alert from RF3 Coordinating Committee and SmartSolar WMass
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW:
Write and call your legislators and ask them to support bills H.3230/ S.2164 which would establish a municipality’s right to reasonably regulate solar power locations and prevent exploitative and massively destructive solar development practices.
Testify at the hearings of these bills, online or if possible, in person, by completing the quick online request form and preparing a 3-minute testimony :
The procedure is different this session because the Joint committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (TUE) is holding separate hearings:
- House members of TUE will hear testimony on solar regulation bills H.3230 and S.2164 on Tues June 20 from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Details
- Register here by Friday June 16th at 5pm to provide a 3 minute testimony for the House members on Tuesday
- Senate members of TUE will hear testimony on solar regulation bills H.3230 and S.2164 on Wed June 21 from 9:30 am – 1:00 pm. Details
- Register here by Tuesday June 20th at 5pm to provide a 3 minute testimony for the Senate members on Wednesday
Send written testimony by Friday June 23rd, 5pm. Send it as an attachment to House members and Senators separately. See a sample template HERE
- Send to House aide Magdalena Garncarz: magdalena.garncarz@mahouse.gov and copy to JointCommittee.Utilities&Energy@malegislature.gov
- Send to Senate aide, Lexi Concannon: Lexi.Concannon@masenate.gov
If you want to watch the hearing but not testify you can view the live stream under the Hearings & Events section here malegislature.gov/events
Visit these websites to learn more:
- https://www.smartsolarshutesbury.org/
- https://www.smartsolarshutesbury.org/take-action/support-state-solar-bills
- RF3 CAN will be posting a new Solar section soon to help support you in your advocacy
- https://savethepinebarrens.org/
Attend SmartSolarShutesbury’s June 26th online forum and other events to educate the public
Note: Other solar siting bills with similar goals, S.1319/H. 2082, were referred to the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government and we will notify you of that hearing as soon as we hear when it’s scheduled for.
MORE:
Please consider offering oral and/or written testimony for H.3225 / S.2150 An Act to Encourage Solar Development on Buildings and Disturbed Land. Here is a fact sheet as well as talking points you can use, but also feel free to incorporate your own experiences and ideas.
There are other bills related to solar and solar siting. Please see this list to see if there are others that you are interested in commenting on.
In addition to priority bills, please consider also supporting two other bills that are aligned with our priority:
The NoToxicBiomass Campaign’s two priority bills will be heard at hearings on Wednesday, June 28th. The Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (TUE) Committees have scheduled a 10:00 am hearing (House) and a 1:00 pm hearing (Senate) that will include:
- S.2136/H.3210 closes the loophole that counts biomass as “non-carbon emitting” energy in the new Municipal Light Plants greenhouse gas emissions standard
- S.2137/H.3211 ends subsidies for commercial-scale wood heating systems through Massachusetts’ alternative portfolio standard (APS)
To speak at the hearings, the deadlines to sign up are: June 26th at 5:00 pm for the 10am hearing; June 28th at 11:00am. for the 1:00 pm hearing.
Last year our campaign succeeded in stopping subsidies for wood-burning power plants in Massachusetts’ renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS). Now it’s time to finish the job and stop subsidizing burning wood for energy in Massachusetts’ other clean energy programs!
Please sign up to testify and/or submit written comments in support of these bills. You can testify in person or virtually, and/or submit written comments. Submit testimony separately to the House and the Senate TUE committees.
The deadline for written comments is Friday June 30th at 5:00pm. Click here for talking points on the bills.
- Other actions you can take are:
- Ask your state reps to cosponsor the bills
- Sign on to a group letter to TUE supporting the bills (organizations only)
For more information and for talking points, please visit the NoToxicBiomass website
June 2023 — Call or write to your Representative and tell them that the 2023 Farm Bill must include support for regenerative practices and programs for all farmers and ranchers!
Share Your Farm Bill Feedback with the House Agriculture Committee
Through June 9th 2023, the House Agriculture Committee is accepting public feedback on the 2023 Farm Bill. We’ve made it easy to share our top proposals that will ensure farmers and ranchers are supported in transitioning towards more regenerative practices, so click the button below and tell the Committee that you want a more regenerative and just Farm Bill this year!
Just copy and paste to share these key proposals with the Committee or view the fact sheet for more info:
Conservation, Title II – Advance conservation programs, education and technical assistance.
- Provide NRCS staff and TSPs with the latest knowledge, tools, and innovations to help producers build soil health via a new training program.
- Streamline Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation practice standards to better support producers in adopting conservation practices.
- Establish a Soil Health Equipment Grant program to increase producers’ capacity to adopt conservation practice.
Credit, Title V – Increase producer access to flexible capital.
- Producers should be able to defer payments on Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans for investing in soil health systems.
- Support Alternative Lenders who serve underserved producers to increase access to FSA loan guarantee programs.
Research (Title VII) – Increase research on soil health and regenerative agriculture.
- USDA must conduct research relating to measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration in soil.
Crop Insurance (Title XI) – Remove barriers and recognize the risk reduction benefits of soil health in crop insurance.
- Pass the COVER Act to provide a $5/acre insurance premium subsidy to farmers who plant cover crops.
Help Amherst, Shutesbury and Pelham residents preserve acres of forest slated for massive solar arrays: visit Smart Solar Western Mass
Tell Maura Healey your thoughts about a healthy climate: visit SHARE YOUR IDEAS
Looking back– 2022 archive
November 2022 — Rally & Hearing in Greenfield about Northfield Solar Project
NORTHFIELD 76 ACRE PRIME FARMLAND SOLAR SPECIAL PERMIT APPEAL
Rally at 8:30 am, Hearing at 9:00 on Monday, November 28, 2022, in Greenfield at the Franklin County Court House, 425 Main St.
The court will hear arguments about a special permit for solar arrays in Northfield on Pine Meadow Road. Northfield Planning Board granted the permit for three arrays on 76 acres.
The rally calls attention to the loss of farmland for the sake of solar development, as well as ratepayer funding for “dual use” solar. This project is right near the Connecticut River in the “Northfield Farms” area, considered some of the richest farmland in the world. It has been continuously used for farming for thousands of years. This proposal is being funded by the MA solar SMART program.
Please attend, bring signs, spread the word. Here is an article from the Greenfield Recorder about the scope of the project.
September 2022 — State Land Designations Under Review–time for your input
The 2022 DCR Landscape Designation events are underway. Comments are due September 28th!
Climate Action Now, with Save Massachusetts Forests, RESTORE: The North Woods, Elders Climate Action and others groups encourage you to tell the DCR that all state properties, including the watersheds, should be designated “parks” or “reserves.” Land management in them would be similar to our National Parks, preserving intact ecosystems and protecting them from logging or other active management. This level of protection now exists for only 1% of the state’s land base. Here is the link to submit online.
View the info session Calling for Carbon and Biodiversity Reserves on Our State Lands: Serving the Public Interest ~ September 6, 2022.
Introductory remarks by Representative Lindsay Sabadosa. Speakers: climate scientist Dr. Bill Moomaw, Michael Kellett, Executive Director of RESTORE: The North Woods, and biologist Bill Stubblefield, Ph.D.
While we are disappointed that the legislature did not take action on H.912 and H.1002, we now can say the same things to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) during its 10 year review of how our state parks and forests are managed.
Click here for the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation Designations and Management Guidelines 10 year review website. The current DCR plan, written in 2012, is here.
Your written comments will become part of the record and will be available for others to see on the DCR website. Written comments are due September 28th.
Here is a sign on letter with a simple message:
We, the undersigned, call for state-owned lands administered by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, including all woodlands, reserves, watersheds, and undeveloped parklands, to be designated and permanently protected as Carbon and Biodiversity Reserves. These Reserves would protect intact ecosystems, which are influenced primarily by natural processes, with only minimal human interference. Limited management activities would be allowed if proven to be necessary to protect public safety, endangered species, or the environment.
Resources:
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) also regularly cuts trees for logging on public lands. Check out their plans for 2022 here.
September 2022 — Eversource proposes massive tree cutting along transmission power lines!
Eversource wants to cut all trees within 100 feet of transmission power lines running from the Northfield Substation, through the towns of Erving, Wendell, Montague, Leverett, Shutesbury, Pelham, Belchertown, Amherst and Granby, to the Ludlow Substation in Ludlow, crossing two Environmental Justice communities: Wendell and Amherst.
Eversource has filed with MEPA (Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office) in order to move forward with its plan to cut over 370 acres of trees along the transmission power line corridor.
Send a comment to MEPA! Go HERE for an action guide which will give you all the info you need. Please share with family and friends.
The MEPA comment deadline was extended to September 23, 2022.
Check out this video of a meeting with Eversource called by Senator Jo Comerford