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Massachusetts Drivers Burned More Gasoline in 2023, Frustrating Governor Healey's Climate Policies – Streetsblog Massachusetts

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Massachusetts Drivers Burned More Gasoline in 2023, Frustrating Governor Healey's Climate Policies – Streetsblog Massachusetts


Greenhouse gas emissions from gasoline consumption in Massachusetts, 2014 to 2023. Data are imputed from state fuel tax collection reports. For context, the entire Massachusetts economy generates about 64 million metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution each year.

In a frustrating setback to the Commonwealth’s climate goals, Massachusetts drivers incinerated 24 million more gallons of gasoline in 2023 than they did in 2022, according to state tax collection data.

That represents the third consecutive year of rising gasoline consumption in the Commonwealth since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The trend undermines the state’s climate strategy, which calls for fossil fuel use to converge quickly toward zero in the next two decades.

Fuel tax collection data indicate rising emissions from cars and trucks

Data for the Commonwealth’s gasoline consumption can be inferred from the Department of Revenue’s Blue Book reports, which provide detailed information about monthly collections from the state’s fuel tax.

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Those reports show that Massachusetts collected $612 million in fuel taxes in calendar year 2023. At a tax rate of 24 cents per gallon, that implies that Massachusetts drivers bought and burned 2.55 billion gallons of gasoline last year.

To put that number in perspective, imagine replacing all the water in Walden Pond with gasoline, and setting it on fire – and doing it again every four months.*

When burned, each gallon of gasoline generates 8.89 kilograms of carbon dioxide in the exhaust from cars and trucks, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. So the 2.55 billion gallons of gasoline that Massachusetts drivers bought and burned in 2023 generated 22.68 million metric tons of greenhouse gases – roughly one-third of the climate-heating emissions from the entire Massachusetts economy.

Pollution remains below pre-pandemic levels — for now

The state’s tax revenue data show that gasoline consumption dipped considerably in 2020, as millions of Massachusetts residents dramatically curtailed their travel during the Covid-19 pandemic.

And although consumption has been rising steadily since then, gasoline consumption does still remain below pre-pandemic levels. Statewide gasoline consumption in 2023 was almost 9 percent, or 245 million gallons, less than it was in 2019.

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Transportation generates more air pollution in general, and climate pollution in particular, than any other sector of the Massachusetts economy.

And while other sectors, like buildings and electric power plants, are becoming more efficient over time by using less energy and transitioning to cleaner sources of power, the fuel tax data show that the Massachusetts transportation sector has been stubbornly resistant to making similar progress.

Under the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008 and the “climate roadmap” law of 2021, the transportation sector will to reverse these trends relatively quickly, and dramatically.

Fuel tax revenues not keeping pace with funding needs

At the same time, the fuel tax remains a major source of funding for new transportation investments across the Commonwealth – but the growth in fuel tax revenue isn’t anywhere close to keeping pace with the state’s infrastructure investment needs.

The $612 million that Massachusetts collected in fuel tax revenue in 2023 was only a one percent increase over the $607 million the state collected in 2022.

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Meanwhile, the inflation rate between mid-2022 and mid-2023 was about 3 percent.

So even though Bay State residents are burning more gasoline, the true, inflation-adjusted value of fuel tax collections is actually going down – making less money available for cleaner transportation projects and programs.


* Walden Pond contains an estimated 3.2 million cubic meters of water, according to “Geohydrology and Limnology of Walden Pond, Concord,
Massachusetts” by John A. Colman and Paul J. Friesz (2001), which is equivalent to about 845.4 million gallons – about one-third the volume of the Commonwealth’s annual gasoline consumption.



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Massachusetts man accused of wanting sex with girl busted in World Cup trafficking operation

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Massachusetts man accused of wanting sex with girl busted in World Cup trafficking operation


A Massachusetts man who allegedly looked to have sex with a 15-year-old girl and bring drugs and alcohol to the meet-up has been arrested during a crackdown on human trafficking amid the World Cup.

Richard Lallier, 34, of Rehoboth, is one of 13 individuals who face exploitation and trafficking charges stemming from an operation that the FBI Boston has partnered on with the Massachusetts State Police and Rhode Island State Police during the global soccer tournament, dubbed “Operation Red Card.”

“Participating agencies emphasized that while major international sporting events bring significant economic and cultural benefits to host communities,” the Rhode Island State Police said in a statement on Tuesday, “they may also create opportunities for traffickers and those who exploit vulnerable populations.”

“Law enforcement agencies throughout the region remain committed to proactive enforcement efforts designed to deter human trafficking, identify victims, and hold offenders accountable,” the State Police added.

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The Rhode Island State Police arrested six individuals, including Lallier, while the Massachusetts State Police apprehended seven suspects during a five-day operation between June 12 and 16.

The suspects arrested in Massachusetts range in age between 21 and 71, all of whom have been arraigned on state charges of sex for a fee with a child under 18, enticement of a child under 16, and attempted rape of a child.

In Rhode Island, Lallier, with a last known address in Rehoboth, is being held without bail on charges of attempted enticement, attempted interstate travel for sexual contact with a minor under 16 years old, and attempted transmission of obscene material to a minor.

Lindsay Laurie, a Rhode Island state trooper who went undercover to operate a Facebook profile that featured “age-regressed images” of herself, said in an affidavit that she informed Lallier via Messenger that he was speaking to a 15-year-old.

In response, Lallier, who went by the name of “Frank Land” on Facebook, allegedly said he was 34 years old before he asked for a “naughty video.”

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Lallier also allegedly “sent multiple videos of his penis” to the undercover profile.

Two days later, last Wednesday, Lallier messaged the undercover profile again, explaining that he wanted to find “snow,” a “code word for cocaine,” Laurie stated. Lallier said he would “bring weed and fireball” to a meetup.

Last Friday, after Lallier confirmed to the undercover profile that he arrived in Rhode Island’s Lincoln Woods State Park, authorities arrested him, according to Laurie’s affidavit.

Major international events, such as the World Cup, lead to “large-scale travel” and “increased demand for lodging,” creating “opportunities for criminal exploitation,” according to Michael Soper, the program director of Boston Hotel Watch, an intelligence network connecting hotels and law enforcement.

Soper pointed to the “rapid expansion of short-term rental platforms” in creating a “significant and evolving challenge” to prevent human trafficking since the accommodations often have “less oversight, fewer standardized security protocols, and limited participation in established reporting networks.”

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“As a result,” Soper said in a statement shared with the Herald, “illicit activity may occur outside the visibility of hospitality professionals and law enforcement partnerships, making the full scope of the problem difficult to measure.”



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Arlington Nonprofit Receives Statewide Grant Funding

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Arlington Nonprofit Receives Statewide Grant Funding


“We are proud to support this remarkable group of nonprofit organizations and the essential work they do across Massachusetts,” Sincere Foundation Executive Director Rebecca Reiner said in a statement. “Their collective impact strengthens communities throughout the Commonwealth and we are honored to help advance their efforts.”

According to the foundation, grant recipients were selected across three focus areas: food security, housing stability, and safe spaces. Organizations receiving support in the food security category alongside Food Link include The Open Door in Gloucester, Worcester County Food Bank, Food For Free, and other nonprofits working to increase access to nutritious food.





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Massachusetts man indicted on murder charge in child’s 2017 death

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Massachusetts man indicted on murder charge in child’s 2017 death


WORCESTER, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – A Massachusetts man has been indicted in connection with the death of a child.

Laura French, spokesperson for the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, said 35-year-old Steven Stuart of Auburn was indicted by a grand jury on a murder charge. The charge stems from the 2017 death of seven-year-old Jayden Carlson.

Stuart was convicted in September 2015 on a charge of assault and batter on a child causing serious bodily injury in connection with an August 2012 incident involving Carlson, who was two years old at the time. Stuart was sentenced to six to eight years in state prison for that conviction.

French added that Carlson suffered serious, “life-altering injuries and subsequently experienced ongoing medical complications” following the 2012 incident. Carlson died in December 2017 as a result of those injuries.

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Stuart has been arraigned on the indictment and is being held without bail. His next court date is scheduled for July 20.

Copyright 2026 Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.



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