Last week, House Rep. Cusack submitted Bill H4744 to replace Healey’s Energy Bill H4144.
H4744, An Act relative to energy affordability, clean power and economic competitiveness, passed the House and is now in the hands of the Ways and Means Committee.
Cusack’s justification for H4744 is "fiscal responsibility". While he raises real issues, he wants to take a wrecking ball to MassSave and other important energy saving programs that benefit all families and support lower energy use and cut carbon use. This Bill rollbacks many gains made to address climate disruption, carbon reduction. It also continues to support the resurrection of nuclear power, while undermining the peoples’ voice to choose their energy future under section 80.
We are facing real problems regarding high energy bills and escalating costs of living. But this Bill isn’t the answer. This appears to be an industry backed Bill to keep failing polluting industries alive. This is unacceptable! This legislation must be fought and fought hard. And section 80, just like section 45 of the Healey Bill, must be removed.
This Bill is moving fast! Please contact the Committee and your legislator to tell them that this Bill in its present form is unacceptable and that the renewal of nuclear power is intolerable.
Thank your legislators who oppose this Bill. Call your friends and family to the same call of action and wake people up to the danger we’re in.
Thank you!
Find your legislator here: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator Find Bill H4744 here. (H4744, Section 80, line 2041, located on page 97 of 108 pages, tersely repeals the Anti-Nuclear Power and Waste Storage Law that we need.)
Oppose Rep. Cusack's Bill, rolling back MA environmental efforts!
Here is a fast and easy link to contact the House Ways and Means committee. There is still time today and tomorrow to affect votes.
Click this link to send a letter to all 60 members of the Ways and Means Committee. You can edit it with your comments.
For more pointers and information about Healey's poison pill, please view this webinar, organized by Massachusetts Peace Action, co-sponsored by the Commonwealth Coalition For Democracy and Safe Energy: Meltdown of Democracy: Bringing Nukes Back Despite Statewide Vote Against Them.
A Case Study in Radioactive Waste Management
The nuclear industry and its politician-apologists claim that nuclear power is clean. Tell that to the communities that deal with its toxic legacy—radioactive waste!
All nuclear power stations create what the industry wants to call “low-level” waste. What’s in it? How radioactive is it? How dangerous is it? Where does it go? What happens when it gets there?
CAN is investigating the answers to these questions in collaboration with students and faculty from Worcester Polytech and UMass-Amherst. Take a look at the “storymap” here for the first installment of the story of low-level waste. And stay tuned for more!
The Enviro Show
The Ghost of Your Nuclear Past is lurking in various Northeastern States as we speak. Both NY Gov. Hochul & MA Gov. Healey are for it (a bit of irony on the latter: we are told Healey's parents allowed the Clamshell Alliance to camp on their land for a Seabrook anti-nuke action). The good news is The Clamshell Alliance is still alive and pushing back. Cliff McCarthy & Shel Horowitz of The Commonwealth Coalition for Democracy & Safe Energy join us for the details.
Protect Vermont from Climate Disaster
Dear CAN Supporters,
This Action Alert is very important and needs to be acted on ASAP by our supporters in Vermont.
Some key Republicans in the Vermont Senate are threatening to dismantle key pieces of legislation that protect Vermonters from climate disaster and help build a more affordable future: the Global Warming Solutions Act and the Renewable Energy Standard. Among the changes they are pursuing for the Renewable Energy Standard is to define Nuclear Power as “clean.” We can’t let this happen!
Anti-climate, Pro-nuclear, Senators are pursuing every avenue they can think of to roll back our climate laws—including a possible attempt to bypass the traditional committee process to force a floor vote to take immediate action (likely on a Senate version of this climate rollback bill), as soon as THIS WEEK. Before any voting begins on efforts to gut these laws, we urge you to contact your Senator(s) and ask them to stand up for Vermonters and defend climate action.
Please call or email your Senator(s) (or call the Sergeant at Arms to leave your Senator(s) a message) as soon as possible this week between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM. Ask them to vote against any rollbacks to the Global Warming Solutions Act and the Renewable Energy Standard to secure a better future for all Vermonters. We have no time to waste!
More info: If we allow the Renewable Energy Standard to change as proposed in this bill, we’ll re-center nuclear energy as a strategy and, functionally, would take a hacksaw to Vermont’s solar industry. If we give up on our climate commitments we are putting an even greater burden on the next generation of Vermonters when we should be working to make their futures brighter, safer, and healthier.
We cannot roll back our commitment to climate action! We must ensure Vermont’s progress on the clean energy transition remains strong, knowing that a fossil-friendly federal administration makes state-level action more important than ever.
Please Contact Your Legislator!
Take a moment to make a difference! Please contact your State senator and house representative today to support bills that protect the public and environment.
We are trying to rescind the clean energy definition pushed by the Governor, stating nuclear energy as clean energy. This is an assault to people who have suffered at the hands of nuclear waste.
Sen. Comerford has introduced legislation to rescind the cle
