Archives

Several Markey-led priorities for Massachusetts incorporated into bipartisan legislation, including provisions to benefit Boston Harbor, Hanscom Air Force Base, and local municipalities. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) commended today’s passage of a comprehensive water resources and water infrastructure bill – the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016 – out of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee that will help address the adverse effects of climate change, improve the safety of and infrastructure for our nation’s drinking water, and spur economic growth.

With a commitment to continue strong protection of the waters of the Commonwealth, the Baker-Polito Administration today will file An Act to Enable the Commonwealth’s Administration of the Massachusetts Pollutant Discharge Elimination System which supports the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (MassDEP) efforts to join 46 other states in administering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) for federal water quality protection and announced a budget commitment of $4.7 million annually for staff, programming and up-to-date monitoring and analysis of water quality data.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today joined the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to announce $100,000 for the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) and the Greater Boston Legal Services Inc. to address the challenges justice-involved individuals face when trying to find work and affordable housing

Further affirming his commitment to ensuring access to quality housing and open space, in a city that values and preserves its history, Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced his support for the Community Preservation Act (CPA), which could provide a significant revenue stream to support affordable housing, historic preservation, and open space initiatives. The proposal, which is currently pending before the City Council, could potentially be placed on the ballot in Boston in November 2016.

Governor Charlie Baker today visited a Keolis work site in Ashland to review the progress on infrastructure upgrades the MBTA is making as part of a larger effort the MBTA, its Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) and leadership are making to improve service, access, accountability and reliability for riders and taxpayers. In Ashland and along the Framingham-Worcester Commuter Rail Line, the MBTA is replacing over 26,000 rail ties between March and early June, to allow more efficient travel and lift speed restrictions due to heat that have been in place since the MBTA obtained the line in 2012.

In a continued effort to ensure safe drinking water in schools around the Commonwealth, Governor Charlie Baker and State Treasurer Deb Goldberg today announced $2 million from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust (MCWT) to fund cooperative efforts to assist Massachusetts public schools test for lead in drinking water. The funds, to be used by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), will provide technical assistance to ensure that public school districts can sample the taps and water fountains in their schools, and to identify any results that show lead contamination over the federal action level

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is charging the owner of a Springfield, Massachusetts rental property with violating the Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent an apartment to a husband and wife with children. The landlordwas also charged with printing discriminatory statements in his lease and retaliating against the family after they complained.Read HUD’s charge.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that according to the City's quarterly housing report, Boston remains on target to meet the goal of creating 53,000 units of housing by 2030. This quarter, 565 new housing units were permitted, for a total of 17,183 units that have either been permitted or completed since the launch of the administration's housing plan, Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030, in October 2014.

Through loans, grants and tax credits, legislation would inject more than $70 billion in the next 10 years into water infrastructure and lead relief programs. Markey legislation, the CLEARR Act, provides assistance for disadvantaged communities, brings public water infrastructure into 21st century

A home improvement contractor will pay up to $60,000 to settle allegations of failing to follow required procedures when he improperly removed asbestos-containing shingles from the exterior of an Ayer home undergoing renovation, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has announced that Massachusetts will receive $2 million in funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The funding is part of $95 million in LWCF funds being distributed to all 50 states.

Research and Development Grant to Northeastern University from Massachusetts Technology Collaborative will Support Advancement of Connected Technologies with Medical, Defense, and Energy Applications

United States Senator Elizabeth Warren issued the following statement today about the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA’s) recent announcement that principal reductions will be made available for certain homeowners:

The Public Building Commission of the Town of Scituate, Massachusetts will issue periodic public updates about the construction progress for the Town Library project. Groundbreaking occurred on September 1, 2015. The project remains on budget. Completion is anticipated for late 2016/early 2017.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced a new partnership with Verizon to make Boston one of the most technologically advanced cities in the country by replacing its copper-based infrastructure with a state-of-the-art fiber-optic network platform across the city. The new network will offer enormous bandwidth and speeds. Through an investment of more than $300 million from Verizon over six years, this change will bring increased competition and choice for broadband and entertainment services in Boston, and support the ongoing efforts to spur innovation and economic opportunity in all neighborhoods.