A: One is, you can invest in local neighborhoods and make them more energy efficient, and plant more trees, and make them more resistant to flood damage-- and that also increases their social resilience because you're making safer communities, you're making more beautiful communities. The 21st century must entirely be about integrated thinking, the relationship between all of these pieces--employment, education, job creation, wages, environment, climate change, transportation, housing, all of these pieces, they all fit together--and as long as you keep them in different boxes and pursue policies that are unaware of each other, you are going to lose the thread and start doing things that are even counterproductive.
A: [Climate] is often seen as a white, middle-class issue, and not directly connected to social-justice questions. That is a mistake. First of all, the people who are being harmed, and will be harmed, by climate change are overwhelmingly poor people and people of color, around the world and in the United States. All of the problems that poor communities are already facing are going to become dramatically worse. And yet, it will be the relatively privileged groups that will go to the legislature and say, bail us out first. So this tension is between people who say, rescue us from climate, and those who are under the severe impact of disenfranchisement and low income, who say, this is a social-justice issue that is just going to get worse, unless we address it now.
My administration will make transportation policy a centerpiece of “smart growth,” and will work with local governments and developers on incentives to redevelop under-used parcels of land near public transportation.
A: No. I wouldn't do this if I were only interested in healthcare. I'm interested in community, in working together--and that means small communities, not just statewide. I've been thinking more and more about what I call thriving or flourishing, or being the kind of community we want to be. That's not healthcare alone. Healthcare's got to be right, but everything triangulates on it. It's a system. Schools matter, roads matter, talent matters, the air matters, the water matters, and one of the wonderful things I think about is that if I get to be governor, I can work at that systemic level.
Shannon Liss-Riordan said nuclear power "may be carbon free, but it is not risk free." She added, "It is not the direction of our future. We need to be moving toward these renewable sources that will be more competitive as we invest in the infrastructure to get solar, wind and geothermal power that we need."
Republican state Rep. Geoff Diehl spoke up for both "accountability in reporting" and the fishing industry. "It is a tragedy for New Bedford that federal regulators are prohibiting 60 permit holders from fishing until next May," Diehl wrote. "There needs to be a better solution than putting hundreds of New Bedford fishermen out of work as we head into the holiday season. Understanding the need for accountability in reporting within the fishing industry, I believe there should be a compromise allowing the fishing fleet to comply instead of unilaterally shutting them down over the next six months."
A: YES
We need new revenue to fix our broken MBTA system. We can't keep asking residents to pay more and get less. Governor Baker has jacked up fares on riders and threatened to cut commuter rail service for weekend riders, seniors and the disabled. And his proposed timeline for getting the MBTA into a state of good repair is unacceptable, thanks to his refusal to acknowledge and support the need for new revenue.
We also need to invest more in Regional Transit Authorities that serve the rest of the state. We need to do the South Coast Rail project the right way from the beginning--electrified via the Stoughton route. And that's why we need to seriously explore high-speed rail to Springfield, the North-South Rail Link and the Blue Line extension to Lynn.
"President Trump's disregard for our environment is yet another example of the ways in which he is taking this country backwards. Rather than aligning himself with President Trump and subjecting our Commonwealth to these dangerous policies, Governor Baker ought to demonstrate real leadership by pressing ahead with plans that will protect our environment. Governor Baker's decision to follow Trump's lead and punt on environmental protection is disappointing and indicative of the kind of lead-from-behind governance we've come to expect from him."
Gov. Romney vetoed a budget line item ("Section 41") which would require the use of advanced filtration technology, certified amalgam separators at each dental office in Massachusetts, and would empower the department of environmental protection to enforce this (because dental amalgam contains high levels of mercury). The House vote was to override the governor's veto. A yes vote would override the veto and impose the requirement. A no vote would sustain the veto and not require separating out the mercury.
Relevant platform section: Toxics Use Reductions: We strongly support the state's Toxics Use Reduction Law...while encouraging reduced use of environmentally hazardous materials.
Source citation: Bill Veto Override, sec. 41 ; vote number H875
Override Gov. Romney's veto of exception of fees charged for the testing of blood lead levels (fees charged by the division of occupational safety). The fees would be limited based on the fees in 2002.
Relevant budget section: SECTION 631. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary and with the exception of fees charged for the testing of blood lead levels, fees charged by the division of occupational safety... shall be set at a rate not less than twice the rate charged on July 1, 2002.".
Relevant platform section: PART VIII: "We believe state and federal regulatory agencies should pay especially close attention to pollutants that have a direct impact on our families' health, with a particular emphasis on regulating mercury, arsenic, pesticides, & lead."
Source citation: Bill Veto Override ; vote #H176
Vote on overriding the governor's veto of the following section: The division of urban parks and recreation in the department of conservation and recreation shall assume the sole responsibility for the delivery and the performance of services for all maintenance and repair work, including snow and ice control, for the roads and bridges previously under the control of the Metropolitan District Commission. No MDC assets or services may be transferred either in whole or in part to any other agency, without the express prior approval of the general court.
Relevant platform section: "We believe in the value of public parks and beaches in our Commonwealth that are clean, safe, well maintained, and which offer a wide range of recreational choices."
Source citation: Veto Override ; vote number 447
Vote on overriding the governor's veto of the following section: The division of urban parks and recreation in the department of conservation and recreation shall assume the sole responsibility for the delivery and the performance of services for all maintenance and repair work, including snow and ice control, for the roads and bridges previously under the control of the Metropolitan District Commission. No MDC assets or services may be transferred either in whole or in part to any other agency, without the express prior approval of the general court.
Relevant platform section: "We believe in the value of public parks and beaches in our Commonwealth that are clean, safe, well maintained, and which offer a wide range of recreational choices."
Source citation: Veto Override ; vote number 447
Gov. Romney vetoed a budget line item ("Section 41") which would require the use of advanced filtration technology, certified amalgam separators at each dental office in Massachusetts, and would empower the department of environmental protection to enforce this (because dental amalgam contains high levels of mercury). The House vote was to override the governor's veto. A yes vote would override the veto and impose the requirement. A no vote would sustain the veto and not require separating out the mercury.
Relevant platform section: Toxics Use Reductions: We strongly support the state's Toxics Use Reduction Law...while encouraging reduced use of environmentally hazardous materials.
Source citation: Bill Veto Override, sec. 41 ; vote number H875
Override Gov. Romney's veto of exception of fees charged for the testing of blood lead levels (fees charged by the division of occupational safety). The fees would be limited based on the fees in 2002.
Relevant budget section: SECTION 631. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary and with the exception of fees charged for the testing of blood lead levels, fees charged by the division of occupational safety... shall be set at a rate not less than twice the rate charged on July 1, 2002.".
Relevant platform section: PART VIII: "We believe state and federal regulatory agencies should pay especially close attention to pollutants that have a direct impact on our families' health, with a particular emphasis on regulating mercury, arsenic, pesticides, & lead."
Source citation: Bill Veto Override ; vote #H176
The relevant part of the MassDems Platform is PART VIII: ENVIRONMENT, PRESERVATION & SUSTAINABILITY: Environmental Law Enforcement: "We believe it is a basic responsibility of government to ensure that all laws enacted to protect our environment are obeyed and enforced. We support more frequent inspections, vigorous enforcement, penalties sufficiently high to take away any economic incentive to disobey the law, and earmarking a portion of such penalties for environmental cleanup."
Reference: Bill H.4004 item 2800-0101 ; vote number S221 on Jul 17, 2003
Override Gov. Romney's veto of exception of fees charged for the testing of blood lead levels (fees charged by the division of occupational safety). The fees would be limited based on the fees in 2002.
Relevant budget section: SECTION 631. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary and with the exception of fees charged for the testing of blood lead levels, fees charged by the division of occupational safety... shall be set at a rate not less than twice the rate charged on July 1, 2002.".
Relevant platform section: PART VIII: "We believe state and federal regulatory agencies should pay especially close attention to pollutants that have a direct impact on our families' health, with a particular emphasis on regulating mercury, arsenic, pesticides, & lead."
Source citation: Bill Veto Override ; vote #H176
Vote on overriding the governor's veto of the following section: The division of urban parks and recreation in the department of conservation and recreation shall assume the sole responsibility for the delivery and the performance of services for all maintenance and repair work, including snow and ice control, for the roads and bridges previously under the control of the Metropolitan District Commission. No MDC assets or services may be transferred either in whole or in part to any other agency, without the express prior approval of the general court.
Relevant platform section: "We believe in the value of public parks and beaches in our Commonwealth that are clean, safe, well maintained, and which offer a wide range of recreational choices."
Source citation: Veto Override ; vote number 447
On the long-awaited 4.5 mile Blue Line extension from Wonderland Station in Revere into Lynn, Warren said it's a project that's time has come. "The Blue Line extension has been under discussion for more than four decades and we've got to make sure it happens," he said. "When the transit line is extended, that will expand Lynn's economy. A few miles away in Boston, there are cranes on the city's skyline and we need to make sure that spreads to Lynn."
Shannon Liss-Riordan said nuclear power "may be carbon free, but it is not risk free." She added, "It is not the direction of our future. We need to be moving toward these renewable sources that will be more competitive as we invest in the infrastructure to get solar, wind and geothermal power that we need."
The scientist's multi-million dare to Monsanto--one of the world's largest producers of GMOs--revolves around his alleged discovery of the accumulation of high levels of formaldehyde in GMO-engineered plants, and his resulting shock that "acceptable standards for testing" do not exist. Here is Ayyadurai's challenge to the Monsanto Company: "If Monsanto can disprove the fact that there are no safety assessment standards for GMOs, the conclusion of our fourth paper, then I will give them my $10 million building."
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| 2016 Presidential contenders on Environment: | |||
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Republicans:
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX) Carly Fiorina(CA) Gov.John Kasich(OH) Sen.Marco Rubio(FL) Donald Trump(NY) |
Democrats:
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY) Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT) 2016 Third Party Candidates: Roseanne Barr(PF-HI) Robert Steele(L-NY) Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA) | ||
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