Massachusetts

Less gas, quicker permits, and a lot more EV chargers — Massachusetts’ next climate law is taking shape. – The Boston Globe

Published

7 months ago

June 17, 2024

Less gas, quicker permits, and a lot more EV chargers — Massachusetts’ next climate law is taking shape. – The Boston Globe

Answer: It can’t. At least not without some serious changes.

A new climate bill in development on Beacon Hill will take aim at that problem by proposing multiple solutions to speed the pace of infrastructure decisions, and ensure that new construction doesn’t overly burden local communities.

That part of the climate bill appears to have the blessing of Governor Maura Healey’s office as well as both chambers of the legislature. But the remainder of the climate bill? That’s still taking shape.

A new Senate bill, released this week, is setting the stage for a sweeping measure that will build upon major reforms brought by climate bills in the past two legislative sessions. Those bills reshaped the way Massachusetts is addressing the climate crisis, from setting an ambitious goal to effectively zero-out greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century to laying the groundwork for an offshore wind bonanza.

In addition to speeding up the process for approving new electric infrastructure, the new bill being proposed by the Senate would rein in the expansion of natural gas; call for the installation of more chargers for electric vehicles; and ban the ability of third parties to sell electricity to residents. An amendment is expected to call for the expansion of the bottle bill, too.

State Senator Michael Barrett, who helped write the last two laws and is taking the lead in the Senate on this one, said the latest bill will be voted on later this week. But the aim is clear: “Here in Massachusetts, we have a number of medium-sized and small-sized discrete problems that we need to address,” Barrett said. “We have an opportunity to address them now.”

In other words: There is no silver bullet to address climate change. This is an attempt at a silver buckshot.

The changes related to energy infrastructure would be based on recommendations released earlier this year by a state commission. They include a requirement that all permits be issued within 15 months — a major change, considering there is no deadline currently and the review process can take up to four years. The changes would also ensure that developers “meaningfully engage” with potentially affected residents — people living near proposed power stations, for example — even before applying for a permit.

“We are in a critical moment for climate action, and legislation is necessary to move us forward,” said Maria Hardiman, director of communications for the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. “In particular, siting and permitting reform is needed to meet our climate goals and ensure communities have meaningful input on clean energy projects.”

These changes may sound mundane, but when it comes to the clean-energy transition, they are anything but. Advocates say these changes are needed to see more EV chargers at key places, like airports, rest stops, and residential areas. Quicker permitting would also allow for more housing to be built that is powered electricity and not fossil fuels, and to clear up bottlenecks in the way of building more renewable energy.

“This is a really good starting point,” said Casey Bowers, executive director of the Action Fund at the Environmental League of Massachusetts. But she and her organization wanted to see more, including greater flexibility and innovation to how offshore wind is procured and a plan to stop new investments in gas infrastructure.

The state has been reckoning for years with how to address the expansion of natural gas. But the laws on the books still provide for a financial incentive for utilities to expand their coverage areas and to replace — rather than repair — leaky pipes.

This has led to a contradictory set of laws. On one hand, the state must slash emissions rapidly; on the other, it incentivizes the expansion of fossil fuels. What’s more, the costs of that expansion are passed on to ratepayers, meaning they are paying for infrastructure that may not be used in the coming decades as the state shifts off of fossil fuels.

The Senate bill aims to tweak existing regulations, so that going forward, the state Department of Public Utilities would have to evaluate whether requests for gas expansion are compatible with the state’s emissions reductions targets.

Likewise, when it comes to replacing leaky pipes, the DPU would have to consider other options — like repairing the pipeline or decommissioning — “with an eye toward realizing our climate goals and saving people money,” Barrett said.

It’s not clear where the House stands on this, or on other measures, including the hotly debated issue of essentially banning third-party electric suppliers from selling directly to consumers, often at rates that start low then climb well beyond standard utility bills

There does seem to be consensus from the two chambers on the urgent need for more EV chargers across Massachusetts to support a goal of having 300,000 electric cars registered in the state by next year. Right now there are only around 64,000.

All of the details remain far from settled — the Senate bill will have to be passed in that chamber, then reconciled with the bill released by the House.

Sabrina Shankman can be reached at sabrina.shankman@globe.com. Follow her @shankman.

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Massachusetts

EZDriveMA text message scam resurfaces. Here’s what Massachusetts drivers should do if you get one.

Published

8 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

EZDriveMA text message scam resurfaces. Here’s what Massachusetts drivers should do if you get one.

BOSTON – A texting scam targeting drivers in Massachusetts has resurfaced. It claims that drivers owe money for unpaid E-ZPass tolls through EZDriveMA.

The scam first appeared back in June and recently surged again during the holidays, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).

EZDriveMA scam – how it works

The scammers target drivers using “smishing” where they send a text or email saying they are part of the tolling agency. They claim that a driver has an unpaid toll and that they should settle their bill using a link provided before late fees occur.

“They’re really playing to your psyche, asking you to make sure you avoid these charges and try to do the right thing. And unfortunately, it really gets people roped in,” MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver told WBZ-TV Friday.

MassDOT urges customers to never click links sent by unknown numbers or emails. They emphasized that they will never send a bill or any information through a text message.

The text message may appear like this one. Officials say not to interact with the message in any way.

CBS Boston

Gulliver says the scam targets people with phone numbers near tolling authorities. The scammers do not have any specific information about their targets but hope to get personal and financial information through the link. He said that he personally received one of the messages.

Dartmouth Police issued a warning to residents about the scam making the rounds again, saying that an officer personally received one of the messages.

What to do if you receive a scam text message

If you think you have received a scam text message, officials say you should not click on any links, do not respond to the message, and do not give out any personal information. They advise people to ignore the message completely and delete it before interacting with it.

If you are concerned about a message, you can validate the authenticity of it by going directly to the toll website or calling the toll authority at 877-627-7745.

If you have already clicked on a link, MassDOT recommends taking precautions to secure your financial and personal information and disputing any unknown charges through your bank.

“First thing you should do, don’t call us. Call your bank or your credit card. If you have already given them some information, make sure you put a hold on whatever account you have, work with their fraud unit to make sure that you’re not exposing yourself to anything more,” Gulliver said.

If you believe you have received one of these scam text messages, you can file a complaint with the FBI through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICC).

Past E-ZPass scam

This type of “smishing” scam surged in Massachusetts in 2024. The scam similarly included an invoice advising people to settle an overdue EZDriveMa bill using a provided link.

A retired FBI agent said the scam was successful because it collected cash in small amounts and that people may not have been aware that they had passed through a toll.

Riley Rourke

Riley Rourke is a digital producer for CBS Boston. She graduated cum laude from Emerson College with a degree in Journalism in 2023.

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Massachusetts

Thursday’s six biggest high school takeaways, including a Gatorade award and a new all-time leading scorer in Saugus – The Boston Globe

Published

17 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Thursday’s six biggest high school takeaways, including a Gatorade award and a new all-time leading scorer in Saugus – The Boston Globe

While Newton North claimed its third straight Division 1 championship in the fall, on Thursday Sasha Selivan became the first Tiger to be named Gatorade Massachusetts Volleyball Player of the Year.

“Sasha is in a league of her own as far as Massachusetts’ setters go,” said Bishop Feehan coach Heidi Bruschi. “No one else I’ve seen comes close.”

The 5-foot-9-inch sophomore led the Tigers to a 24-1 record with 673 assists, 133 digs, and 115 kills. In the Division 1 final, a 3-0 win over Brookline, she recorded 26 assists and four aces. Selivan is ranked as the nationals’ No. 128 player in the Class of 2027, according to PrepVolleyball, and was the Division 1 tournament MVP and a Division 1 All-State selection.

She maintains an A average in the classroom and volunteers locally as a youth volleyball coach and mentor.

2. DiBiasio keeps scoring for Saugus

While Saugus assistant coach Norma Waggett watched, junior Peyton DiBiasio broke her coach’s all-time program scoring record by netting 27 points to surpass the mark of 1,100 Waggett set in 2013. Saugus lost, 51-40, to Minuteman to fall to 5-2.

3. On to college

In Danvers, St. John’s Prep announced 18 college commitments across eight sports:

Football

Merrick Barlow (Newburyport) to Naval Academy

Graham Roberts (Swampscott) to Harvard

Newburyport’s Merrick Barlow, who had 11 TD receptions in 2024, formally committed to play football at Navy during a ceremony at St. John’s Prep on Wednesday.Courtesy St. John’s Prep

Baseball

Will Shaheen (Portsmouth, N.H.) to Harvard

Nic Lembo (Danvers) to High Point

Lacrosse

Charlie Angell (Winchester) to Pennsylvania

Ryan DeLucia (Winchester) to Georgetown

Luke Kelly (Marblehead) to Michigan

Cameron McCarthy (Marblehead) to Loyola Maryland

JP Sullivan (Swampscott) to Saint Anselm

Jack Weissenburger (Marblehead) to Harvard

Sam Wilmot (Topsfield) to Richmond

One of seven St. John’s Prep lacrosse players who signed Wednesday’s commitment ceremony, midfielder Luke Kelly of Marblehead will take his talents to Michigan this fall.Courtesy St. John’s Prep

Golf

Tripp Hollister (Sudbury) to Bryant

Cross-country

Daniel Padley (South Hamilton) to Holy Cross

Swimming and diving

Kye McClory (Lynnfield) to Holy Cross

Greg Santosus (Marblehead) to Virginia Military Institute

Tennis

Luke Prokopis (Lynnfield) to Holy Cross

Jack Prokopis (Lynnfield) to Holy Cross

Track and field

Noah Kabel (Swampscott) to Sacred Heart

4. Western Mass shuffle

Lots of league movement in Western Mass, particularly in football and girls’ soccer. Check out the reporting from Jesse Koldokin at the Eagle Tribune and Gage Nutter at MassLive.

Here’s the Cliff’s notes version: Chicopee Comprehensive and Holyoke will leave the AA League and be replaced by West Springfield and East Longmeadow. The Tri-County loses Springfield International and gains Belchertown.

In the Suburban South, Wahconah is joined by Pittsfield, Putnam, and Chicopee Comprehensive. The Suburban North will feature Taconic and South Hadley, plus Hoosac Valley, Lee, Easthampton, and Holyoke.

The Intercounty South sees Chicopee, Ludlow, Springfield International, and Northampton join Commerce and Frontier. The Intercounty North remained unchanged.

In girls’ soccer, the Berkshire League’s Grieve division will be Drury, Wahconah, Pittsfield, Lenox, Monument Valley and Mount Greylock. McCann and Hoosac Valley move to the Pioneer South and Taconic, Lee, and Mt. Everett move to the Tri-County North.

5. Thursday’s leaderboard

The top scoring performance of the night came in a defeat as Jacob Klass dropped 35 points for Beverly in a 77-73 loss to Gloucester that saw Nick Deleon score 26 for the Fishermen.

Minuteman’s Muji Vader nabbed 11 steals and added 24 points in a 63-19 win over KIPP Academy, sophomore Divine Egbuta led Lynn Classical with 26 points in a 58-46 win over Somerville, and Notre Dame (Hingham) junior Elle Orlando packed the box score with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 steals in a 72-35 win over Ursuline.

On the ice, Newburyport’s Olivia Wilson netted a hat trick in a 7-3 win over Stoneham/Wilmington and Justin Thibert delivered three goals for Shawsheen in a 9-1 win against Nashoba Tech/Greater Lowell.

Freshman netminder Suki ten Brinke saved all 18 shots she faced to record her first shutout of the season in Lincoln-Sudbury’s 3-0 win over Westford, and Central Catholic junior Sydney Foster made 21 saves in her first shutout of the season, a 7-0 defeat of Wayland.

6. Linked up

Before we bid adieu, a few things we’ve written recently, starting with Trevor Hass’s story on Bishop Feehan honoring the late local hoops legend Mike Babul by wearing black wristbands featuring his initials during a win over Bishop Fenwick.

Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.

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Massachusetts

Massachusetts State Police release Body Camera footage of Nick Cocchi arrest

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Massachusetts State Police release Body Camera footage of Nick Cocchi arrest

LUDLOW, Mass (WWLP) – Massachusetts State Police have released body camera footage from the arrest of Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi back in September.

The public is now getting a glimpse into the night of September 21st, when Sheriff Nick Cocchi was arrested by Massachusetts State Police outside of MGM Springfield. The night his state issued white Ford Explorer was found without a front right tire in the valet section of the garage.

The video shows the interaction with Cocchi and law enforcement as they are trying to piece together what happened.

“Yeah, ok, wanna go down that road, huh? ok,” says Sheriff Cocchi. The state trooper responds, “I want to take everything right by the numbers and by the books, sir.”

At first when asked who was driving, Cocchi said a friend, then later admitting it was him behind the wheel. The trooper also saying he can smell alcohol, asking Cocchi how much he had to drink. To which he responds he had “a couple beers” when he was at the Springfield Country Club, but nothing at MGM Springfield.

Cocchi also declined a field sobriety test, multiple times.

Since the incident, Cocchi says he has taken full responsibility for his behavior.

“I’m not looking for empathy or sympathy. I’m not looking for people to give me a pass. All I’m asking for people to do and all I’ve said that I am is human, and I have integrity, I have honesty, and I have character. And I will always try to be the best version of myself, and that night I wasn’t,” said Sheriff Cocchi in response to the video release.

In regards to that night, Cocchi praises the troopers, saying throughout this process, he should not be treated differently from anyone else.

Cocchi also said quote “Since the incident, I have done everything possible to show the public that I believe in transparency and accountability, especially in myself.”

He said at the Sheriff’s Department, they believe people are not defined by moments like these, but rather how they handle those moments.

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