****FRACKED GAS PIPELINES ARE PROPOSED ON THE PRETEXT THAT IT IS CLEAN ENERGY.
WE KNOW HOW FRACKING HAS DESTROYED COMMUNITIES, CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER AND IS BLAMED FOR CAUSING EARTHQUAKES IN OKLAHOMA.
PLEASE DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE SUPPORTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION OF FRACKED GAS.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Keith Regan
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Today: Gaming Commission; Facebook with Stan
Governor Baker is traveling out of state with his family. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito gives remarks at the Cranberry Country Chamber of Commerce, 58 East Grove St., Middleborough, 9 am.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission meets to discuss several agenda items, including Plainridge Park, MGM Springfield, and fantasy sports. It will be held at 101 Federal St., 12th floor, Boston, 10:30.
Senate President Stanley Rosenberg hosts a Facebook Q&A at noon:https://www.facebook.com/senatorstanrosenberg
The Green Line Extension: The conundrum awaits
Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack's appearance yesterday at the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assetswas a reminder that the Green Line Extension debate will soon resurface and there won't be any simple answers. In others words, making a $1 billion overrun estimate into a more a palatable number will be fraught with political considerations. That's why yesterday she was talking about the potential need for the Legislature to authorize addition bonding - it already authorized $1.2 billion. "As I've said repeatedly the option of halting the project remains on the table until or unless we can develop a fiscally-responsible approach to completing the project." The DOT and MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board will meet Nov. 30 to scrutinize the cost estimates for the project, and then again on Dec. 9 to explore options. Colin Young and Andy Metzger report on Pollack's Beacon Hill appearance. http://bit.ly/1MnQ6js
Late-night service on the T could soon fall victim to cuts, reports Nicole Dungca of the Globe, as ridership has been low. With about 13,000 weekend riders using extended hours to 2 am, the cost to subsidize each trip is over $13. More details on the cost-benefits here:http://bit.ly/1Haxi8L
Public records law passes House; Senate will weigh it next year
The House passed the first overhaul of the state's public records law in 40 years yesterday, but the measure won't be considered by the Senate until early next year. Overall, it represents a significant improvement, in the estimation of many, as current law is routinely abused by bureaucracies large and small because they can stonewall and overcharge with impunity. The fear of costing their agencies real money because of noncompliance should make record-keepers more diligent. Shira Schoenberg of MassLive gets into the nitty-gritty of the bill, including the cost per page, the timetable for answering requests and more.http://bit.ly/1HYPWQT
Healey jolts pipeline debate
Debate on the need for additional natural gas in Massachusetts promises to become the commonwealth's most contentious issue. Do we need additional capacity or can we manage with the natural gas supply we have by using less? On this question, Attorney General Maura yesterday sided with the environmental argument with a study that adds to the collection of energy reports that contradict each other. Massachusetts has four pipeline projects that would either widen existing pipes or create new ones, all inspired by utilities that say they need the gas. Here's a good overview of the pipeline situation in light of Healey's report by the Globe's Jack Newsham. http://bit.ly/1Nc9SCj
Donald Trump drags Tom Brady into his campaign
"I have the temperament of someone that knows how to win. All you have to do is ask Tom Brady. Tom Brady always said Trump knows how to win. And he's a great guy and he's a friend of mine. But Tom Brady, will tell you, 'Trump knows how to win.' " - Donald Trump speaking to reporters last night in Worcester
Trying to make sense of Trump's appeal and durability has become a new genre of political writing, and the Globe's James Pindell has a good take today on Why Trump Won't Go Away. One reason, which isn't quite framed this way, is the media won't let him go away. "While his opponents struggle to raise money to get out their message, Trump is constantly on television news for free. He has only begun to air radio advertising in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina." http://bit.ly/1S66Z3P
Is Trump getting more measured as it looks more possible he could pull off the GOP nomination? It would not seem so to the casual observer, but the Herald's Howie Carr has a funny take about trying to draw out Trump to say outrageous things during a recent radio interview: http://bit.ly/1NF1JQZ
Hillary Clinton is Dick Cheney-esque
So says Eric Fehrnstrom in a Globe op-ed, eagerly poking a stick into the beehive of Massachusetts Democratic hegemony with this critique: "... What makes Hillary Clinton the Dick Cheney of the Democrats is Libya. You heard that right - Clinton is to Obama in Libya what Cheney was to President Bush in Iraq." http://bit.ly/1kHaELa
Solar bill deal will have to wait
An 11th-hour attempt to hammer out a solar energy bill between the House and the Senate failed to find common ground, pushing the effort to lift the net metering cap into next year. "House and Senate negotiators made a show of quickly assembling to take a swing at crafting a quick compromise, but 90 minutes later both sides acknowledged that it would take further discussions before a deal could be reached," Matt Murphy of the State House News Service reports. http://bit.ly/1MoFPno (paywall)
TODAY'S DAY: Today is the Great American Smokeout Day, which challenges smokers to drop the habit for 24 hours.
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REMEMBER: To send your tips to me at gdonnelly@massterlist.com. Op-eds and other commentary invited for publication on Massterlist.
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