Energy Affordability

ECA Mass is collaborating with the Massachusetts Coalition for Affordable Energy (MCAE) in a concerted effort to get several key components of the Senate Energy Affordability bill into a final bill that we expect to come out of the bill conference committee in October. It is likely the House members of the committee will be advocating for a narrow bill that does not include Gas System Enhancement Reform and other means to manage utility spending and profits. The House version also includes cuts to Mass Save and to support for climate programs that currently comes from Alternative Compliance Payments.

Coalition Plans and Website

The coalition has put up a website that provides the information we all need to understand what a climate-focused Energy Bill should look like. It includes position statements on Mass Save, Alternative Compliance Payments, and GSEP. Check it out! The Coalition is working hard on informing all legislators about its vision of an affordability bill and some members are aiming to sponsor a lobby day in late September that ECA Mass supports. Stay tuned for more information on that event. A big turnout will be critical to getting the energy bill we need.

Environmental Bond Bill

Our Plastics, Natural Solutions, and Finance Working Groups continue to advocate for several measures in the Environmental Bond Bill (also in committee) including a climate bank study, plastic bag reduction, municipal reforestation, and drought management. Look for Action Alerts and more info as we continue these efforts.

Energizing Advocacy

A legislative Task Team has been exploring ways to increase the engagement of ECA Mass members in advocacy of all kinds (mitigation and resilience efforts, legislation/regulation, etc.) at all levels (local, statewide, etc.). The September chapter meeting is designed to engage all members in this exploration.

Melissa Hoffer will be there to kick off the event with brief reflections on the importance and effectiveness of grassroots advocacy. We will then all respond to a few instant poll questions to see where the group stands on advocacy-related issues. Finally, we'll have plenty of time to discuss how ECA Mass can advance its advocacy efforts and those of its members on all levels. Here are some of the options that we may consider:

• Skills training and support for legislative advocacy
• District constituent teams to lobby legislators
• Action Hours for education and real time outreach to legislators
• Rapid Response Teams to increase response to Action Alerts
• Improving collaboration with allies
• Recruit more effectively to ECA Mass teams and provide orientation
• More education on state/local climate issues
• More support for local and community climate action
• Developing other new programs/activities
• Engaging in the movement for a more transparent legislature

Roger Luckmann

As grandparents, aunts, and uncles, we’ll soon be cheering on family members playing sports on green fields. But in many instances, these fields will be made of green plastic and rubber, not green grass.



While synthetic turf looks good and is easier to maintain than grass, plastic turf fields leach chemicals that pollute the water and land around them. These toxic chemicals also endanger the health of those who play on these fields.



Read this recent account of a soccer goalkeeper in Newton whose experience playing on plastic fields has led her to become a vocal opponent of them. Her warnings are worth heeding.

Synthetic turf contains a mix of toxic substances including:

• Crumb rubber infill made from recycled tires - this contains 96 identified chemicals; 20% of these tested chemicals are probably carcinogens and 40% cause breathing problems or skin irritation, according to a 2015 Yale study.
• PFAS are "forever chemicals” - they do not break down. They have been shown to accumulate in our bodies. Exposure to PFAS is linked to hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, and these chemicals have been detected in breastmilk and the blood of newborn babies’ umbilical cords.

To keep children (and yourself) safer, do not eat or drink on synthetic turf fields, wash your hands and clothes after contact with the turf, and wear pants and long-sleeve shirts, if possible, while on it.

For more information see The Hidden Risks of Artificial Turf: What Every Parent and Community Should Know.

Also consider joining ECA’s Plastics Working Group which collaborates with allies on legislation to limit the installation of synthetic turf fields. Bills like these are part of ECA’s effort to lessen the production and use of plastics in our Commonwealth.

Melissa Ludke & Rick Lent

What is spotlighting? Also known as birddogging, spotlighting is the practice of showing up at public events where elected officials are present, to ask them on-the-record questions about your issue and create public accountability. Sound scary? It can be, but this is a useful and essential tactic to build pressure on elected officials so come join in the fun! Better Future Project is hosting this training on Weds, Sept 30 at 6:30 PM to talk through the most intimidating parts of spotlighting and ensure you feel set-up for success.

This 90-minute training will review different types of spotlighting, review video of previous spotlighting tactics to pick out what works and what doesn't, and then we'll get into some role play. This is a great training for all activists, no matter your priority issue, so please spread the word! 

This training will definitely be available online; TBD on an in-person component. Everyone who RSVPs will receive a Zoom link the morning of the training. 

MORE INFO AND REGISTER HERE

Tina Grosowsky

News hit Monday, Aug 31 that the federal judge in the Northern District of NY struck down New York's climate superfund law. This is a disappointing result, but only one ruling based on a controversial 2nd Circuit precedent. This decision does not impact Massachusetts since we are not in the 2nd Circuit; if anything, it only creates a greater sense of urgency to get our bill in front of the 1st Circuit here in Massachusetts.

For more info on the 2nd Circuit's disappointing decision and guidance on how to talk about it with your organizations and legislators, please see this memo put together by Fossil Free Media.

Tina Grosowsky

Triggered by the recent passage of a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) bill in Maine, this training will be of interest to anyone interested in advancing the scope and functions of CCAs in other states. This is highly relevant for clean energy folks in ECA and our collaborators Third Act MA since CCAs, particularly their most recent model (CCA 3.0), can serve as a local conduit for developing new solar, battery, and other distributed energy resources.

Tune in for a free training series by Paul Fenn, the creator and pioneer of CCA across the US for over 30 years. Although this is a Maine-focused series, the information will give participants a solid grounding in CCA history, formation, and operation.

September 15 at 12 PM: General Background and History

September 22 at 12 PM: Key Formation Strategies and Possibilities

September 29 at 12 PM: Specific Pathways: Key Local Policy Decisions and Action Steps

Sponsored by the Maine Community Power Alliance and presented by Paul Fenn from localpower.com.

• What is CCA? What makes it the most powerful community-wide energy transition platform?
• What CCA models have been used by municipalities, and what did each accomplish?
• How can CCAs build both centralized and decentralized renewables, owned by the CCA, investors, or individual energy users?
• What is the right administrative approach to git varying conditions between cities, towns, and rural counties?

REGISTER HERE

Paul Fenn is the founder of Local Power, an organization that has led the development of a new community-based model for energy: Community Choice Aggregation. He is the creator of Green Bonds to finance local build-outs. Go HERE for an interview with Paul Fenn, featured in the Corporate Crime Reporter and HERE for a YouTube interview with Paul.

Maiyim Baron

In August, ECA Mass organized four events as part of the Climate Action Campaign national campaign, Climate Summer: Too Hot to Ignore. Conducted in 50 key Congressional districts nationwide, including MA-04 (Rep Auchincloss's district), the goal of the campaign was to demonstrate to Congressional Democrats the broad grassroots demand for climate action and to ensure that climate becomes a top priority in 2027.

Events included a Honk and Wave standout and petitioning in Coolidge Corner, and another in Needham which got enough notice to make the Needham Channel News, followed by our banner drop over I-95 in Needham on Aug 21 to catch the traffic out to the Cape on a Friday afternoon. We will follow through by delivering photos, petitions, and the video to Rep Auchincloss's Newton office this month.

Seth Evans