Mass Green Agenda Releases Top Environmental Priorities

For Release: July 12, 2007                              

Contact: Lora Wondolowski, MLEV

617/742-8822 or lora@mlev.org

Mass Green Agenda Releases Top Environmental Priorities:

Maintain Parks, Protect Land, Value Our Ocean, Preserve Waterways, and Lead on Global Warming Solutions

BOSTON - Today, the Mass Green Agenda released its five Environmental Priorities calling for action on the most crucial environmental challenges facing the Commonwealth.  The Mass Green Agenda is a new coalition of ten leading environmental organizations that have united around a shared vision for the environment.   They are urging the legislature to take action on these top priorities this session.

“We are at a tipping point on public awareness and demand for action on the environment.  We need our legislators on Beacon Hill to make environmental protection a top priority,” said Lora Wondolowski, Executive Director of the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters.

Together, these environmental groups from across the Commonwealth are organizing to maintain our parks, preserve our waterways, protect our land, value our ocean, and lead on global warming solutions.  This responsibility is more important than ever as states and the nation grapple with the threat of global warming and its impacts on coastlines, rivers and streams, and wildlife.  At the same time Massachusetts must address the continuing challenges of losing more than 40 acres of land a day to development, dwindling habitat, and rivers that run dry during summer months. 

 “As we head out to the beaches and parks this summer, we are reminded of the importance of our natural areas.  We applaud the legislature for increasing funding for our degraded parks in the new budget and urge them to make a substantial investment over the next few years to get us back on track,” said Nancy Goodman, Vice President for Policy of the Environmental League of Massachusetts.

The priorities cover a broad spectrum of environmental issues with accompanying legislation for each one that would address some of the most pressing challenges.  The five Mass Green Agenda priorities are:

Maintain our parks.  

·        Provide a $40 million increase in the budget for DCR by 2012.

·        Enact Park Revenue Act; S. 467- Sen. Augustus

Preserve our waterways. 

·        Enact the Act to Protect Rivers and Streams; H. 833- Rep. Petersen

Protect our land. 

·        Enact Land Conservation Incentives Act; S. 480/H. 799- Sen. Brewer/Rep. Kulik

Value our ocean.   

·        Enact Massachusetts Ocean Act; S. 529- Sen. O’Leary

Lead on global warming solutions.  The issue of global climate change and energy security must be addressed in this legislative session.  Our ultimate goal is an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.  The Mass Green Agenda supports energy policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the impact of climate change by:

·        Implementing ambitious and comprehensive energy efficiency programs.

·        Implementing a successful carbon dioxide cap and trade program.

·        Strengthening and maintaining the integrity of the state’s renewable energy portfolio.

·        Providing strong incentives for energy efficient and climate neutral products like clean car purchases and green building construction.

·        Developing programs to deal with the need for adaptation to changes already occurring due to climate change (e.g., loss of habitat and flooding).

"Massachusetts citizens have made substantial investments in our natural resources, from the coasts of Cape Cod to the forests of the Berkshires. These investments are in jeopardy without updated, strategic conservation measures to protect our rivers, parks, forests and oceans," said Wayne Klockner, State Director for the Massachusetts Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

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