Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

The environment is our most precious resource, and we have a duty to protect it. Tim believes that government must play a strong and active role in preventing pollution, fighting climate change, and encouraging conservation. Some of the environmental issues that Tim is working on as your State Representative:

Stopping Natural Gas Pipelines
In order to slow the pace of climate change and preserve our planet for future generations, we need to keep fossil fuels in the ground and accelerate our shift toward renewable sources of energy. Oil and gas companies are working around the country to build pipelines that will facilitate the export of cheap, fracked oil and gas and prolong our reliance on fossil fuels. One such project was the Kinder Morgan Pipeline, which was planned for western and central Massachusetts. Tim was one of the legislators who stood against the construction of this pipeline, and opposed a provision that would have put electric ratepayers across Massachusetts on the hook for its construction. The pipeline project has since been shelved, and Tim is now working with his colleagues to make sure it stays that way.

Protecting our Water
Tim opposes a Baker Administration plan to shift Clean Water Act permitting authority away from the EPA and onto our already-overburdened state environmental officials. This plan will almost certainly weaken protection for our state's rivers, lakes, and streams.

North South Rail Link
The North South Rail Link is as much of an environmental issue as it is a transportation issue. This project has enormous potential to reduce train congestion and encourage more commuters across the region to take public transit when commuting to the greater Boston area. Tim is a member of the North South Rail Link working group and is actively working alongside leaders like former Governor Mike Dukakis and State Rep. Sean Garballey to advance this important project.

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