The River Current || August 4, 2008 || Issue 74

The twice monthly e-newsletter of the Charles River Watershed Association
...bringing our backyard river to your door...

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In this issue

1)       Environmental success this legislative session
2)       Action Alert: Call the Governor today

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  1) Environmental success this session

  As you may have read or heard over the weekend, this was a banner legislative session for environmental protection. Many important bills passed that will greatly improve the quality of life for all residents of the Commonwealth! The session closed last Thursday evening, and bills now go to the Governor for veto or signing.  The only wobbly bill expected is Conservation Tax Incentives which is now an amendment on the Environmental Bond Bill (go to http://www.crwa.org/alert/cons_tax.html for more information, and see the action alert below).

  CRWA is a member of the MassGreen Agenda, a group of NGOs formed this year to work on passage of key environmental bills.  Three of our four top priorities were passed: the Oceans Bill, Conservation Tax Incentives, and Park Funding.  Our fourth priority, the streamflow standards bill will be reintroduced in the next legislative session.   

  Environmental Bills that passed this session:

  • ·         Oceans Bill
  • ·         Park Funding (in the operating budget)
  • ·         Environmental Bond
  • ·         Natural Heritage line item restoration and funding (in the operating budget)
  • ·         Phosphorus Bill
  • ·         Riverways Funding (in the operating budget)
  • ·         Global Warming Solutions Act
  • ·         Conservation Tax Incentives (in the Environmental Bond)
  • ·         Energy Bill
  • ·         Green Jobs

  Thank you to all CRWA members who took part in our actions alerts – your emails and phone calls do make a difference, as is evidenced by the results of this session. Keep up the good work!

   2) Action Alert: Call the Governor today

  Today, Monday August 4th, is call-in day to support environmental bills passed this session. Governor Patrick now must sign the Environmental Bond Bill into law, which was passed by the House and the Senate with help from your calls and support. Please join with us in this final push to preserve environmental funding for Massachusetts! For more information, go to www.crwa.org/alert/2008/callgov.html

  Call the Governor at 617-725-4005, tell the staff member who picks up that you want to thank him for his commitment to land protection, and are asking him to sign the environmental bond (House Bill 5054) into law with the conservation tax incentive (Section 8 of House Bill 5054) included!

  Please do your best to call today, but if you aren't able to call Monday, then call Tuesday. Thank you for your support!

   

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  River Current is published by the Charles River Watershed Association and hosted by NPOGroups.org, a service of Electric Embers. List information can be found at http://lists.charlesriver.org.