FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 9, 2012
BOSTON – A commission charged with studying the current state of Massachusetts’s water and wastewater infrastructure systems and financing released its final report today following two years of work and numerous public hearings and meetings.
The Massachusetts Water Infrastructure Finance Commission (WIFC) found that the state faces an estimated $21.4 billion funding gap for water and wastewater infrastructure over the next 20 years, and that substantial state, federal and local investments are needed to ensure the continued availability of clean, reliable drinking water for Massachusetts homes and businesses. A copy of the report can be found at http://www.senatoreldridge.com/legislation/wifc.
“Clean water, delivered by a strong and reliable water infrastructure system, is essential for fostering ongoing economic development in the Commonwealth,” said State Senator Jamie Eldridge, who co-chaired the Commission. “Many companies rely on water to do their business, which makes a strong water infrastructure an important factor when deciding where to locate. The work of the WIFC will help ensure we have the reliable infrastructure we need to support economic growth and job creation, as well as protecting the quality of our water and streams.”
“Water is one of our most basic needs, yet we often take the infrastructure that delivers it to our homes and businesses for granted,” added co-chair Representative Carolyn Dykema. “By making investment in our water system a priority, we are also prioritizing economic growth, job creation, and the sustainability of our communities. This report highlights the work we need to do to fund and maintain this important public asset and lays out a road map for creating a 21st-century water infrastructure system to meet the needs of our Commonwealth.”
Our water infrastructure system suffers from a lack of investment, delayed maintenance, and insufficient resources, noted the report. Hundreds of miles of pipes are kept in service far past their useful life, leading to lost water, sewage leaks and, in the worst case, water main breaks. Our failure to maintain and upgrade our existing infrastructure threatens our ability to deliver reliable clean water and keep wastes and toxic chemicals out of our environment without service interruptions.
The Commission determined that a significant increase in spending, along with improved management to find efficiencies and cost savings, is needed to reduce the water and wastewater infrastructure gap currently facing the Commonwealth.
The WIFC final report lays out a number of strategies that state and local governments can use to achieve these goals, including:
The WIFC found that water utilities are currently facing many cost challenges, including aging systems in need of investments, improvements or upgrades required to meet stronger environmental or public health standards, necessary security and redundancy investments, rising energy and labor costs, and growing municipal debt burdens.
At the same time, water infrastructure revenues are not keeping pace with needs, as federal and state funding sources have steadily decreased. Unlike other utilities, municipal water and sewer rates often do not come close to covering the full cost of providing clean water and eliminating waste.
The result of the increasing cost challenges and the decreasing revenue is the water infrastructure gap, estimated by the Commission to be $10.2 billion in resources for drinking water and $11.2 billion in resources for wastewater projects over the next 20 years. These estimates include capital investment, repair and replacement, operations, maintenance and debt services, but do not include the cost of evolving regulatory requirements or investments to accommodate economic growth. As such, the estimates are more likely to understate rather than overstate the gap and the funding need.
More information about the WIFC and a copy of the report can be found at http://www.senatoreldridge.com/legislation/wifc.
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The Water Infrastructure Finance Commission was established by the Legislature in the Acts of 2009. The Commission was charged with developing a comprehensive, long range water infrastructure finance plan for the commonwealth and its municipalities. Commission members included legislative and administrative appointees, representatives from the municipal, business, and engineering communities and environmental advocates.
BOSTON – State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) was honored for his work on social justice issues with the Legislative Achievement Award from the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)/ Massachusetts Association of Jewish Federations (MAJF) at a reception at the State House in Boston on April 10th.
“From his early days as a representative, Jamie prioritized the relationship with our community, keeping his door open, being receptive to our concerns and most importantly, urging us to use our strength to do good,” said JCRC President Bill Gabovitch. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to honor Senator Jamie Eldridge for his shared values with the Jewish community on a wide range of issues over the years. We are especially grateful for his overall support to priority issues of the Jewish community and for being a passionate advocate on our behalf.”
Eldridge has worked with the JCRC/MAJF on a number of priorities over the years, including workforce development, support for immigrants, and programs to help the poor, the disabled, and the elderly.
“The Jewish community, JCRC/MAJF and I share the same values and believe in the need to continuously work for social and economic justice. I’ve been blessed to have JCRC as a partner in much of the work I do to preserve the social safety net and help low-income people develop the skills they need to gain meaningful employment, and I’m so honored to receive this award,” said Eldridge.
The Legislative Achievement Award is given to legislators who have made outstanding efforts on issues of importance to the Jewish community, and strengthened the bonds between key members of the Jewish community throughout Massachusetts and their elected officials.
Photo provided by JCRC of Greater Boston, taken by Garnick Moore Photographers.
JCRC promotes a society that reflects the best of American and Jewish values—in Greater Boston, Israel and around the world—by convening and mobilizing the Jewish community. Through advocacy, organizing, service and partnerships, JCRC pursues social justice, ensures a vibrant Jewish community, and builds a network of support for Israel.
The Massachusetts Association of Jewish Federations (MAJF) is a statewide government affairs office that works to strengthen the relationship between the Jewish community and elected officials and personnel in key government departments; advocate for issues of concern to the community; and, helps its members access public funding to provide services to its clients.
BOSTON – Continuing its efforts to remove obstacles for businesses to grow, the Senate on Thursday took on the high costs of electricity in Massachusetts by unanimously passing legislation that will create more competition for energy contracts and bring down prices, State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) announced.
The bill also includes a crucial provision to help expand clean energy production across the state, by expanding the state’s net-metering program and doubling the net-metering cap. This provision is based on legislation originally filed by Senator Eldridge last year in response to the warning of renewable energy businesses across the Commonwealth, who told legislators that if the cap isn’t raised, the solar industry will be unable to expand and growth in the clean energy sector will plateau, causing businesses to shrink their workforce, and look towards other states to continue to grow.
“Net-metering has proven to be a great success, and passing this bill will help ensure that success continues. I know that several towns in my district, including Harvard and Shirley, are interested in expanding their use of solar to take advantage of the net-metering program. Increasing the net-metering cap will allow these towns, and many others across the Commonwealth, to have more control over their energy future with proven and reliable methods as solar and other alternatives,” said Senator Eldridge
Senator Benjamin B. Downing (D-Pittsfield), lead sponsor of the bill, said: “This legislation builds on Massachusetts’ nation-leading clean energy policies and ensures those policies are advanced in the most cost effective way. It will continue the job growth we have seen in clean energy and energy efficiency, while ensuring rate payer dollars are being used effectively.”
Because of its ongoing commitment to renewable resources, the Commonwealth has the second-lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any region in the nation. It has positioned itself as a frontrunner in the clean energy economy, which currently employs 64,000 people statewide, and become one of the top states for innovation, investment, employment and policy.
The state needs to maintain this position without harming the many successful businesses for which electricity is a detrimental cost of doing business.
The average electric rate in Massachusetts is 14.24 cents per kilowatt hour – the seventh highest in the United States and well above the national average of 10 cents. Part of the reason is that Massachusetts, in comparison to other parts of the country, does not have an abundance of natural resources such as coal or gas. In fact, New England states in general have very little domestic sources of fuel for electricity.
But the high costs are also driven by the industry itself – a combination of aging transmission and distribution infrastructure, and a lack of accountability from investor-owned utility companies.
The bill passed in the Senate on Thursday addresses the high cost of electricity in Massachusetts in an effort to support job creation and economic recovery. It seeks to reduce the price of electricity by identifying cost-drivers, reviewing rates on a more regular basis, and demanding more competition.
To establish competition in the market, the bill would end the current long-term contract program under the Green Communities Act by December 2012 and require investor-owned utilities to competitively bid proposals from renewable energy suppliers for long-term renewable energy contracts. And by increasing the overall net metering cap from 3 percent to 6 percent, the legislation doubles the existing limits on municipal and privately-owned projects that generate their own renewable energy.
The legislation requires gas and electric companies to file rate cases every three years with DPU; increases from six to 10 months the time DPU has to review rate cases; prevents DPU from approving rate case settlements more than once every six years; and requires DPU to spread over a two-year period any rate increase that would exceed 10 percent in one year, with a first-year cap of 7.25 percent.
The bill also requires the Department of Energy Resources (DOER), when it intervenes on cases before the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), to do so on behalf of all commercial and industrial ratepayers.
The legislation also does the following:
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives.
The Joint Committee on Housing, co-chaired by State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton), advanced legislation last week that would provide housing rights and protections for victims of domestic violence, rape, sexual assault and stalking.
“No one should have to choose between their personal safety and finding or keeping housing – and yet all too often, this is the situation that victims of domestic violence find themselves in. This bill will help those victims who face a financial and/or legal barrier to leaving their home and prevent housing discrimination based on a past history of abuse. I’m proud to support this bill and look forward to seeing it passed into law by the full Legislature,” said Senator Eldridge.
“An Act Relative to Housing Rights for Victims of Domestic Violence” (S586/H386), filed by State Senator Cynthia Creem (D-Newton) and State Representative Ellen Story (D-Amherst) would bar a landlord from evicting a tenant or refusing to rent to someone because he/she was the victim of one of these crimes. A landlord maintains the right to evict if the lease is violated for reasons unrelated to domestic violence issues.
The bill would also allow a victim of these crimes, with appropriate documentation, to vacate their lease or rental agreements without financial penalty. This will make it easier for a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault to leave their home quickly if necessary. The bill also gives victims the right to have their locks changed.
Receiving a favorable report from the Joint Committee on Housing is an important first step in the legislative process. The bill will now be considered by additional committees before moving on to House and/or Senate floor for a vote.
Boston, MA – This week, the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee in the Massachusetts state legislature advanced a critical clean energy bill SB1664, An Act Relative to Net-Metering. The bill would increase the availability of the net-metering program and is a critical piece of expanding clean energy production across the state.
The net-metering program is an important reason why installed solar electricity has increased 24 fold since 2008, the year the Massachusetts legislature passed the Green Communities Act.
The bill was filed by State Senator James Eldridge in response to renewable energy businesses across the Commonwealth warning legislators that if the cap isn’t raised, the solar industry would be unable to expand and growth in the clean energy sector would plateau, causing businesses to shrink their workforce and look towards other states to continue to grow.
“This bill will ensure that Massachusetts remains a national leader in the solar industry, helping grow clean energy jobs while reducing carbon emissions here in our state. Increasing the net metering cap will allow communities across the Commonwealth to continue to build on the work they’ve already done to increase their use of clean energy. It’s a great step forward, and I commend the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy for their work on this legislation,” said State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton).
“Passing this bill is very important for the long-term growth of the solar industry in Massachusetts, and we couldn’t be more pleased that this bill has moved another step forward. We’re greatly appreciative of Senator Eldridge’s strong support of net-metering and the solar industry, and we want to thank him as well as Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy for their work on this legislation,” said Steven Strong of Solar Design Associates, Inc. in Harvard, MA.
“Solar is an unlimited, pollution free resource with no fuel costs that will help Massachusetts meet our energy and environmental goals. We looking forward to working with the legislature to making solar a centerpiece of Massachusetts’ energy strategy,” said Ben Wright, advocate with Environment Massachusetts.
Michael Stone, Policy and Regulations Manager for My Generation Energy, a solar company based in Sandwich, MA said, “This legislation is significant in that leaders from across our Commonwealth have recognized the strong local demand for clean energy choice and the value, both economically and environmentally, of expanding clean energy access. This legislation will aid in reducing the hundreds of millions of dollars we send out of the state every week – for oil, natural gas and coal -, reduce future transmission expenditures and create more resilient communities across the Commonwealth as a result. For our customers – homeowners, businesses and landowners – net metering means having control over their energy future with proven and reliable distributed generation such as solar.”
SB1664, if passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, will significantly increase the Commonwealth’s installed solar by;
BOSTON – State lawmakers, advocates and activists gathered today before a state legislative committee to show support for a state resolution calling on the U.S. Congress to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and restore fair elections and constitutional rights to the people.
S. 772, “The People’s Rights Resolution,” introduced by State Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) and State Rep. Cory Atkins (D-Concord), decries the court’s ruling as a “serious and direct threat to our democracy.” If passed, the resolution would have the Massachusetts Legislature call upon the U.S. Congress to “pass and send to the states for ratification a constitutional amendment to restore the First Amendment and fair elections to the people.” The bill has more than a dozen co-sponsors.
“In two short years, the Citizens United decision has upended our election system, with serious consequences for the health of our democracy. The voices of ordinary Americans are being drowned out by the tens of millions of dollars that are being poured into attack ads paid for corporate donors,” said Eldridge. “The problem is real, and we owe it to the citizens of the Commonwealth to do what we can, as a legislature, to stop this. The only effective, long-term solution is to pass a constitutional amendment that will overturn this misguided, destructive decision.”
Added Atkins, “Our democracy is at risk. The Citizens United decision opened the floodgates, allowing unlimited corporate money to flow into politics. We must pass a constitutional amendment stating that people, not corporations, have a right to free speech. Only by preserving the voice of individual citizens can we protect our democracy.”
Judiciary Committee members also heard testimony from legal experts, business owners and democracy advocates, each arguing why S. 772 was a valuable and necessary step forward and one that the committee and Massachusetts lawmakers should support.
“The fundamental question facing the nation today is whether people or corporations shall govern in America,” said John Bonifaz, the co-founder and director of Free Speech For People. Free Speech For People has targeted Massachusetts to be among the first states to pass a state legislative resolution in support of such a constitutional amendment. Earlier this year, New Mexico became the second state in the nation (after Hawaii) to pass a resolution. “With the passage of this resolution, Massachusetts can help lead the way in restoring American democracy to the people,” Bonifaz said.
Dozens of activists from across the state came to the hearing to show support for the resolution. They wore stickers saying “Corporations Are Not People,” and fanned out across the statehouse to meet with their representatives to urge them to support the bill.
“Across the country, we’re seeing support grow every day for a constitutional amendment to take back our democracy from corporate interference,” said Mark Hays, campaign coordinator for Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People Campaign. “With this sort of momentum, we’re ready to write the next chapter of our campaign to ensure that democracy is for people, not corporations.”
In the wake of the Citizens United decision, campaign spending by outside groups has skyrocketed. In the 2010 election cycle, the first since the Supreme Court decision, outside groups spent nearly $300 million.
“Because of Citizens United, corporations can decide which candidates have the money to get out their message and which candidates get flattened by negative ads. That’s wrong,” said Avi Green, co-director of MassVOTE. “Politics should be for all of us – not just the super-wealthy and the big corporations they control.”
Super PACs have emerged as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, amassing huge amounts of money used for attack ads. Super PACs are expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in the 2012 elections. All of this corporate money promises to help make this election record-setting.
“We need short-term responses to this disastrous decision, such as increased disclosure,” said Pam Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts. “But we can reverse it and reduce money in politics only with a constitutional amendment. Passing S. 772 will put Massachusetts on the forefront of that critical effort, which, as the cradle of liberty, is where we should be.”
Other states across the country, including California, Vermont Washington and Maryland also are advancing resolutions or similar measures. Cities across the nation have voted to rid elections of corporate cash, and are advancing local resolutions similar to S. 772 to build support for its passage.
BOSTON – The Senate on Thursday passed a bill to address emergency service response of public utility companies in Massachusetts as a result of the widespread power outages in communities across the state during Tropical Storm Irene in August and the snowstorm in October, State Senator Jamie Eldridge announced.
“I heard from many residents who were frustrated by the utility companies’ responses to the August and October storms. In some cases residents went without power for over a week, often unable to get any substantive information from their utility company about when power would be restored. This was an unacceptable situation, and I’m in strong support of this legislation to ensure our constituents receive better service during future emergencies,” said Senator Eldridge.
Senator Eldridge held four hearings in the Middlesex & Worcester district – in Marlborough, Shirley, Ayer and Maynard – at the end of last year to gather input from constituents about their experiences during the October storm and the utility companies’ response.
The bill requires public utility companies to provide twice-daily estimates to customers on when electricity will be restored following a 24-hour damage assessment period, and to set up a call center during a major storm. The call center must be located in Massachusetts and must have sufficient staffing to handle increases in calls.
Utilities must also report storm outages to the state and designate a community liaison in each community when implementing an emergency response plan. The bill also requires utilities to designate staff at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency to help coordinate statewide response.
Additionally, utilities will pay an assessment charge to help the Department of Public Utilities pay for storm investigations. The cost of this assessment cannot be passed on to customers. The bill also ensures that any penalties assessed on utilities for violation of emergency preparation and response will be credited to customers.
Finally, to further ensure that public utility companies in Massachusetts improve their response to cities and towns during a storm, the bill extends the possibility of receivership to all utilities in the case of gross negligence. Currently, only Unitil is subject to receivership.
State Senator Jamie Eldridge announced today that he will be co-chairing a new Green Economy Caucus at the State House to promote legislation that will foster job creation and sustainable development.
Eldridge and his co-chair, Representative Frank Smizik (D-Brookline), formed the caucus as a way of bringing interested legislators together to learn about, discuss and advance policies that will support the development of, and investment in, economic sectors that seek to protect the environment and provide the jobs and energy of our future. The caucus will focus on a number of themes within the broad scope of the green economy: water, energy, clean technology, infrastructure, and food.
“Massachusetts is uniquely positioned to be a leader in the transition to a green economy because we have the talent, political will, and entrepreneurial spirit necessary to effect change. State government needs to find ways to encourage and support these green businesses and give them the best possible chance of thriving. Doing so is going to help us create jobs now while benefiting our environment, our economy, and therefore our citizens over the long-term. It really is a win-win-win strategy,” said Eldridge.
Senator Eldridge and Representative Smizik are the lead sponsors of An Act Establishing the Office of Clean Technology, which would help increase the competitiveness of Massachusetts’ clean technologies industry.
Eldridge pointed to a number of successful Massachusetts businesses currently working in the green economy, including Liberty Tire in Ayer, which recycles scrap tire and uses recycled tires to create rubber asphalt, Diamond-Roltran in Littleton, which creates parts for wind turbines, and Preserve Products in Waltham, which makes products from recycled plastics.
“Massachusetts has long been a hotbed of technological innovation. By working to support and further develop our thriving green economy, we can guarantee our position well into the 21st century,” added Eldridge.
For Immediate Release: Jan. 18, 2012
On Anniversary of Citizens United Decision, Massachusetts Pushes For a Constitutional Amendment to Overturn It
BOSTON – In the days leading up to the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Massachusetts lawmakers joined state and national organizations and activists today at the state Capitol to support a state legislative resolution calling on the U.S. Congress to overturn the ruling and restore fair elections and constitutional rights to the people.
S. 722, “The People’s Rights Resolution,” introduced by State Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) and State Rep. Cory Atkins (D-Concord), decries the court’s ruling as a “serious and direct threat to our democracy.” If passed, the resolution would have the Massachusetts Legislature call upon the U.S. Congress to “pass and send to the states for ratification a constitutional amendment to restore the First Amendment and fair elections to the people.”
“The Citizens United decision dramatically dilutes the voice of every American who does not control a large corporate treasury,” said Eldridge. “The health of our democracy and the integrity of our political system are at stake, and the only effective, long-term solution is to pass a constitutional amendment that will overturn this misguided, destructive decision.”
The assembled lawmakers and organizations also urged the Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee to advance this resolution by scheduling a hearing next month as well as a vote to bring the resolution to the floor.
“Our democracy is at risk,” said Representative Atkins. “The Citizens United decision opened the floodgates, allowing unlimited corporate money to flow into politics. We must pass a constitutional amendment stating that people, not corporations, have a right to free speech. Only by preserving the voice of individual citizens can we protect our democracy.”
“The fundamental question facing the nation today is whether people or corporations shall govern in America,” said John Bonifaz, the co-founder and director of Free Speech For People, a national campaign launched on the day of the Citizens United ruling to press for a 28th Amendment to the Constitution to overturn the ruling and make clear that corporations are not people with constitutional rights. Free Speech For People has targeted Massachusetts as one of the first states to pass a state legislative resolution in support of such a constitutional amendment. “With the passage of this resolution, Massachusetts can help lead the way in restoring American democracy to the people,” Bonifaz said.
Super PACs have emerged as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, amassing huge amounts of money used for attack ads, such as those aired recently leading up to the Iowa caucuses. Super PACs are expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in the 2012 elections. All of this corporate money promises to help make this election record-setting.
“Big corporations aren’t run by the 99 percent – or even by the 1 percent. Rather, they are run by a super-wealthy 0.01 percent,” said Avi Green, Executive Director of Mass VOTE. “Politics should be for all of us – not just the super-wealthy and the big corporations they control.”
The press conference is part of a nationwide week of action calling for the Citizens United decision to be overturned. From Massachusetts to California, events are planned to highlight the need for the federal government to take action to protect our democracy from corporate dominance.
“The groundswell of national grassroots activity in support of a constitutional amendment we’re seeing is tremendous,” said Mark Hays, campaign coordinator for Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People Campaign. “With this sort of momentum, we’re ready to write the next chapter of our campaign to ensure that democracy is for people, not corporations.”
Cities across the nation have voted to rid elections of corporate cash. In Massachusetts, local groups are planning actions across the state around the anniversary – including rallies and educational events on Jan. 20 and 21 – and are advancing local resolutions similar to S. 772 to build support for its passage.
“We need short-term responses to this disastrous decision, such as increased disclosure,” said Pam Wilmot, Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts. “But we can only reverse it and reduce money in politics with a constitutional amendment. Passing S. 772 will put Massachusetts on the forefront of that critical effort, which, as the cradle of liberty, is where we should be.”
To learn more, visit: www.FreeSpeechForPeople.org, www.DemocracyIsForPeople.org and www.United4thePeople.org.
January 12, 2012
BOSTON – The Senate on Thursday passed legislation establishing new employment rights for victims of domestic violence that will help victims keep their jobs and increase long-term economic productivity, State Senator Jamie Eldridge announced today. The vote was 34-0. The bill has wide support from advocacy organizations and the business community.
“No one should have to fear losing their job because they are the victim of domestic violence and trying to get help,” said Eldridge. “I hope in passing this legislation we help create an atmosphere where victims of domestic violence are better able to access the help and support they need. I’m proud to support it and hope to see it passed by the House and signed into law by the Governor as soon as possible.”
“Too many jobs are lost and too many lives are being destroyed because victims don’t have the opportunity to get the help they need and improve their situations without fear of being fired and putting themselves in a more vulnerable position,” Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) said. “This bill requires reasonable employer considerations to help victims recover and continue to make a living. It will help alleviate the human costs, and the costs to businesses, that are associated with domestic violence.”
The bill requires employers with 50 or more employees to allow up to 15 days of leave, with or without pay, to any employee who is a victim of domestic violence or lives with a family member who is a victim of domestic violence.
Employees can use the leave to obtain medical attention, counseling, housing, protection orders and other legal assistance.
Employers can require employees to provide restraining orders, police reports, medical notes or other official documentation, such as a conviction record or victim advocate statement, to certify that the employee or employee’s family member is a victim of domestic violence.
The bill requires the employer to keep all information about the employee’s leave confidential. Employees must exhaust all available leave, such as vacation and sick time, before seeking leave established under this bill; however an employer may waive this requirement.
Similar legislation was passed by the Senate in the previous legislative session on May 13, 2010 but did not make it through the entire legislative process. It has the support of Jane Doe Inc., the Associated Industries of Massachusetts and the Retailers’ Association of Massachusetts.
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RT @Barry_Finegold: Congrats to @ThereseMurrayMA and @SenDickMoore and their staffs for their incredible work on health care cost contai ... #
