Guest Opinion: Mass. rising to the challenge on climate change – The Herald News

In 2010, the state released a serious plan showing how it would reduce emissions 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 — an interim target called for in the law. A recent MassINC report assessing progress finds that, while we’re making real headway, there is still a significant likelihood that we’ll fall short of this mark…

Living up to our commitment to reduce climate change will require public buy-in for implementing these kinds of small but meaningful programs. Broad public support will not come without communication and leadership from state officials. A MassINC survey conducted last year found that while a majority of residents support state action on climate change, Massachusetts residents have almost no knowledge of the state’s effort.

Education, economic development keys to improving cities like Worcester – Telegram & Gazette

Nearly all the panelists at a forum on Gateway Cities tonight agreed that improving education and attracting economic development are the keys to improving post-industrial cities like Worcester and Pittsfield, but each had a unique take on getting there.

The second annual Massachusetts Bar Association Gateway Cities Forum at the Worcester County Courthouse on Main Street was a way for the bar association to see how the resources of its members could be tapped, said Robert L. Holloway, president-elect of the organization.

Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray said that in deciding on funds for Gateway Cities — cities across the state with populations between 35,000 and 250,000 with incomes and education levels below state averages — the state needs to recognize the differences specific to each city, and be flexible with resources.

Benjamin Forman, research director for MassINC, said Gateway Cities typically have an under-utilized workforce, and said that despite the relatively good signs Gateway Cities have shown through the economic downturn — population and job growth — residents are still struggling. The education gap needs to be addressed through increased focus on early education, an extended school day, and facility upgrades, he said.

Investing in commonwealth’s Gateway Cities – Lowell Sun

During a forum at UMass Lowell on April 11, Massachusetts’ 24 Gateway Cities, including Lowell, were described as desirable locations for innovators, entrepreneurs, businesses and artists. These communities boast distinctive assets, including educational and medical institutions and historic buildings.

Letter: Hub business leaders find green goals good for earth, bottom line – Boston Globe

Last Sunday’s story about MassINC’s report (“Ambitious emissions plan called lagging,” Page A1) was right to draw attention to Massachusetts’ nation-leading climate change goals. Lost in the speculation about progress toward the state’s goals, however, is the momentum gathering since the Clean Energy and Climate Plan was adopted. This momentum is particularly strong among business leaders, who are realizing that climate action is good for their bottom lines as well as the environment.

Letter: Critique of state’s emissions plan starts key dialogue – Boston Globe

The group MassINC has done a public service by providing a thoughtful critique of the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan (“Ambitious emissions plan called lagging,” Page A1, April 22). As a state, we must begin to appreciate the long-term implications of global warming. Both the state’s ambitious plan and this analysis of the first two years of its implementation are healthy signs of a vital discussion.

Report: Future hazy for Mass. greenhouse gas reduction goals – Boston Business Journal

Massachusetts could be confronted by a 2- to 6-foot rise in sea level and up to two months per year with temperatures surpassing 90 degrees if global greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, according to a report released this month by MassINC and the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA). Massachusetts has committed to a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2020. But this report, titled “Rising to the Challenge: Assessing the Massachusetts Response to Climate Change,” questions the state’s ability to meet this goal in just eight years.

Editorial: Sounds of silence on Beacon Hill – Metro West Daily News

In what today’s legislative leaders say is the interest of efficiency, the amount of debate and the number of rollcall votes have decreased sharply compared to 25 years ago.

According to a new analysis by CommonWealth magazine, the House was in session for roughly 10 hours a week in the 1985-86 term.In the 2009-2010 term, the House was in session an average of five hours a week.

In the 1985-86 session, the House held 1,655 rollcall votes. In the 2009-2010 session, House members answered the clerk’s rollcall just 513 times.

The Senate numbers are similar. It was in session an average of six hours a week back when Senate President William Bulger wielded the gavel; it met an average of three hours a week under its current president, Therese Murray. There were 851 Senate rollcall votes 25 years ago, but less than half that many in the most recent full session.

CommonWealth magazine’s senior investigative reporter Jack Sullivan appeared on Emily Rooney to discuss the week in the news. Topics covered included racist tweets that hit the web following the Bruins’ loss to the Washington Capitals, presidential politics, and the water bottle ban in Concord. Listen to the full appearance here.

Governor hailed as champion of solar energy at Westford park – Lowell Sun

A report released this week by Mass Inc., an independent, nonpartisan think tank, assessed the state’s response to climate change. It gave recommendations needed to reach Patrick’s goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.

When it came to solar, the report recommended the state monitor the costs of solar energy and make adjustments to its solar programs, if necessary.

State falling short in cutting greenhouse gases – Cape Cod Times

The state is falling behind in meeting its ambitious goals to combat climate change, according to a report released by MassINC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank.

“Massachusetts has been a leader,” said Benjamin Foreman, one of the authors of the 127-page report. “Part of leadership is doing what you say you’re going to do.”

Although Foreman gave the state an A-minus grade for its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, an A-plus is really what’s needed to address climate change, he said.

Mass. efforts to reduce climate-changing emissions may fall short – ClimateWire

Massachusetts may fail to meet its 2020 goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report.

The analysis from MassInc, an independent think tank, says it is not clear who is in charge of the state’s overall efforts to cut emissions, and warns that there are not clear enough metrics to certify the states’s progress toward its goals.

Under its Clean Energy and Climate Plan, the state has a goal to reduce emissions 25 percent below 1990 levels by the end of the decade.

Many initiatives related to transportation, in particular, such as clean-car consumer incentives, have been slow to launch, the researchers said.

“Because there is not any publicly accessible central scorecard of emissions, milestones and projected effects of different initiatives, it is difficult for an outside analyst — or even someone within state government — to know how well or poorly some state programs are performing,” says the report, which was prepared in conjunction with the Clean Energy States Alliance.

Holyoke debate has begun on whether to establish director of arts, culture and tourism – The Republican

Mayor Alex B. Morse said establishing a director of arts, culture and tourism would help the city mobilize the talents and strengths of its creative sectors…

The plan gained momentum as Morse and a dozen city employees, business people and residents involved in arts and culture attended a Gateway Cities Creative Placemaking Summit on April 11 in Lowell. 

The Boston Herald

The Bay State is at risk of missing its 2020 greenhouse gas emission reduction target unless a number of immediate issues — including lack of coordination, measurement and accountability — are addressed, according to a new report released by the think tank MassINC.

The study, titled “Rising to the Challenge: Assessing the Massachusetts Response to Climate Change,” praises Gov. Deval Patrick for signing the Global Warming Solutions Act in 2008, which commits the state to reducing emission to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, but says more action is needed to help the state meet its emissions mark, including launching stalled initiatives within the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020; adding measurement and coordination where little exists; and appointing a cabinet-level climate administrator to manage all aspects of the cross-agency program.

Ambitious Mass. emissions plan called lagging – Boston Globe

Four years after Governor Deval Patrick announced ambitious plans to blunt the impact of global warming, the state is falling behind in its efforts to reduce emissions of gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, according to the first comprehensive review of the administration’s climate change goals.

The report by MassINC, a nonprofit, independent think tank in Boston, found that the state is not on track to meet its interim goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

The state also could face major challenges in meeting its overall goal of reducing emissions 80 percent by 2050, according to the study.

The report found that unless the administration makes changes or there are significant shifts in the energy market, the state risks falling well below its 2020 target.

Mayor calls for Office of Cultural Development creation – Holyoke Sun

This week, Mayor Alex B. Morse called for the creation of an Office of Cultural Development, which includes hiring a Director of Arts, Culture and Tourism. The City Council must approve the mayor’s requests.

The move came after Morse attended the Gateway Cities Creative Placemaking Summit in Lowell last week. Twelve city and community leaders accompanied Morse to the summit. The mayor took part in a roundtable discussion with mayors from Fitchburg, New Bedford and Worcester.

Fall River Herald News

If the city is going to attract more residents and businesses and prosper economically, arts and culture will need to play a large role, legislators and other officials said Wednesday, when state funding was announced for a group of projects in Fall River.

In a survey published in December by MassINC, a non-partisan research group, seven out of 10 people who live in a gateway city said having quality arts and cultural events in the city were extremely or very important. Nearly half said they attended a museum, art gallery or concert in the previous year.

Gateway Cities seen spurring Lowell laurels – Lowell Sun

Yesterday, city and cultural leaders from many of the state’s 24 Gateway Cities, including Lowell, Fitchburg, Worcester, Holyoke and New Bedford, gathered at the UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center to discuss “Creative Placemaking,” using arts and culture as catalysts for economic development and community revitalization.

“Gateway cities drive regional economies,” said Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, adding the state is often Boston-centric and by funding economic development, infrastructure, housing and education programs that specifically target the Gateway Cities, the administration is “leveling the playing field.”

The Eagle-Tribune

 By bicycle, on foot and in vans, residents of the city will fan out across the neighborhood around the North Canal on Saturday, choosing their favorite spots, as well as their least-favorite, as part of a “power of 10 placemaking” exercise designed to eventually make that part of the city more liveable, accessible and enjoyable.

Perhaps coincidentally, the Boston-based think tank MassINC held a conference in Lowell yesterday entitled “The Gateway Cities Creative Placemaking Summit,” during which representatives from Haverhill and Lawrence, as well as Lowell and other immigrant cities such as Lynn and Fitchburg, got together to discuss problems facing their communities.

Some #WorcPoli reading – Worcester Magazine
CommonWealth Magazine revisits the infamous “Booze Cruise” story that led to former Worcester US Rep. and then-head of MassPort Peter Blute’s resignation and de-railment of his political career, and comes up with new revelations, including the conveniening of a grand jury investigation and allegations that Blute was “set up.”

Lowell — at the Intersection of Place and Creativity – Lowell City Manager’s Blog

A gathering of Gateway City elected officials and key players in the arts and culture scene met today to talk about importance of “placemaking” to the economic vitality and success of communities.   Boston-based think tank MassINC and The Massachusetts Cultural Council brought together Gateway Cities mayors, economic development directors, corporate and civic leaders for a first-ever summit on “Creative Placemaking” – an economic development strategy that uses arts and culture investments as catalysts for growth and urban revitalization. Local leaders were joined by national arts and culture experts, state and federal officials, artists, practitioners and entrepreneurs all focused on the practical aspects of advancing these transformative projects.

Despite qualms, many support sex offender registry – Patriot Ledger

A new report by Commonwealth Magazine exposed some problems with the current [sex offender] registry system, specifically in the number of sex offenders who claim they are homeless or living at homeless shelters. Homeless Level 3 offenders are required to re-register with their local police agency every 30 days.

John Yazwinski, president and chief executive officer of the Father Bill’s homeless shelter in Quincy, said Monday that six of the 38 Level 3 offenders currently listed as living in the city gave police the address of Father Bill’s on Broad Street as their primary residence. Typically, only half of the people who claim they reside at Father Bill’s Place actually live there, he said.

One-on-One with Charlie Baker – New England Cable News

[2010 Republican gubernatorial nominee Charlie] Baker has stayed out of the political spotlight, but did notice a recent MassINC report which shows the Bay State has lost 150,000 jobs between 2000 and 2010.

“We are no where as focused as we should be on doing the things we need to do to be competitive economically,” said Baker.

New tax credit program could spur new market-rate housing in mid-sized Massachusetts cities – Patriot Ledger

The state Department of Housing and Community Development is putting the finishing touches on a tax credit program for projects in these mid-sized cities that would bring new market-rate housing into the mix….

As one of his first actions as Gov. Deval Patrick’s new undersecretary of housing and community development, Aaron Gornstein is ensuring this program is ready for developers to apply by sometime in June.

The Legislature authorized the program in a broad economic development bill that passed in mid-2010. But it’s taken this long for the state’s housing agency to pull the details together. The program, at least for now, will be capped at $5 million for each fiscal year – a budget that likely could help finance five to 10 projects each year.

The program will give a developer a 10-percent tax credit on eligible rehab work. Arthur Jemison, a deputy undersecretary at DHCD, says the credits will be capped at 50 market-rate units and at $1 million per project. Because most of these tax credits are sold off at a slight discount, he says, a typical developer could reap up to roughly $900,000.

The credit would only be available for projects in one of 24 designated mid-sized cities. Some already have relatively healthy economies. But others are struggling. Most, if not all, fall under the “gateway cities” umbrella, a term promoted by local think tank MassINC and used frequently in recent years by state policymakers.

PVTA, PVPC push for dedicated regional tranportation funding source – The Republican

The Pioneer Valley has $85 million in needed and ready-to-be-built road, bridge and bicycle and recreational trail projects but only approximately $13.9 million in available funds.

Meanwhile, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority is planning a fare hike to close a $1.8 million budget gap.

But what the region really needs is a dedicated transportation funding source, like a payroll or sales tax, with the money only going to local transportation projects and local mass-transit projects, according to transportation planners who pitched the idea at a meeting Friday hosted by the PVTA and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

About 40 people, including local lawmakers or their staffs, attended the forum, which also featured Benjamin K. Forman, research director at MassInc, formally known as the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth.

MassInc is a Boston-based research and advocacy organization…

Forman said 17 states, including neighboring New York, have some form of dedicated regional transportation funding. He also predicted there would be the political will to get one established here. Nationally, 80 percent of all transportation-related ballot questions pass.

“When it comes down to it, the question is about jobs and economic development,” he said. “People will vote for it if they feel it is in their itself interest.”

Planners: Transportation funding in dire straits – Daily Hampshire Gazette

More than $1.3 billion is needed to invest in the Pioneer Valley’s transportation systems, and without new sources of revenue, vital infrastructure needs will go wanting.

This massive funding gap will only widen unless state lawmakers provide tools to invest in these projects at the regional level, area planning and transit leaders said Friday at a public forum at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission…

Brennan was joined in a panel discussion by Benjamin Forman, research director for MassInc., a nonpartisan think tank that helps shape public policy, and Mary L. MacInnes, administrator of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority. Several political leaders, including the mayors of Northampton and Easthampton, were among the 50 or so people at the forum…

Brennan, Forman and others on Friday floated a number of ideas to generate dedicated funding streams, from an increase in the state sales tax and new payroll tax to a tax drawn from the number of miles people travel in their vehicles annually. Several states around the country have successfully adopted such measures, Forman said.

The problem of diminished and inadequate funding is perhaps best highlighted by the way in which the state has funded the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and its 15 other regional transit authorities, of which PVTA is the largest.

In a transportation report last year, MassInc. focused on how a higher share of funding from statewide resources, including the sales tax, for the MBTA has eroded support for the state’s other regional transportation authorities.

State assistance for regional transit authorities like PVTA in Springfield amounts to 13 percent of the money these agencies send to the MBTA through the sales tax, yet they receive only a third of their budgets from state assistance compared to the MBTA, which receives 57 percent of its budget from state funds, the report found.

In addition, the MBTA has seen a 16 percent increase in state support during the past three years while the other regional transit authorities have faced a 5 percent decrease in state funds, according to MassInc.’s analysis.

“For all of our regional economies to grow, we need the kind of investment that Boston’s (public) transportation has enjoyed,” Forman said. “There really is a view that the MBTA comes first.”

PVTA Holds Forum to Discuss Ways to Plug Impending Deficit – WGGB Fox 6 News

A forum was held in Springfield to discuss [how to fund transit systems around the state]. The group called MassINC suggested regions of the state could impose a small payroll tax to pay for them along with the repair and maintenance of roads and bridges. Money raised in the region would stay in the region.

PVPC considers strategies for transit – WWLP 22 News

Western Massachusetts is in great need of transit improvements, and local leaders met in Springfield Friday morning to discuss ways to make getting around better…During the discussion, the nonpartisan think tank MassINC [shared] a report titled “Moving forward with funding: New strategies to support transportation and balanced regional economic growth.”

The event was sponsored by the PVPC, MassINC, and the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority .

New Strategies Suggested For Public Transit Funding – Northeast Public Radio

With the gap growing between transportation funding needs and available state and federal revenue, a Massachusetts think tank is advocating a regional approach. A report from MassINC argues that funding public transportation should follow a regional economic development strategy…

The report suggests a regional payroll tax or a vehicle miles traveled tax could be levied to pump hundreds of millions of dollars into cash starved regional transit authorities and help to pay for the multi-billion dollar backlog of road and bridge repairs.

The sales tax in Massachusetts is the prime source of money to subsidize public transportation, but the report says the revenue from it is distributed unevenly, with the lion’s share going to greater Boston’s transit system operated by the MBTA. Benjamin Forman, research director at MassINC says for every three dollars people in the Springfield area pay into the state’s transportation trust fund, the region gets only a dollar back.

The report from MassINC says a .16 percent payroll tax, which would work out to less than two dollars per week for the median wage earner would generate revenue equal to about one and half times the amount of money the average regional transit authority now gets from the state. The vehicle miles traveled tax could solve the problem of declining gas tax revenue as people switch to more fuel efficient vehicles.

Forman , in a presentation Friday in Springfield to an audience of elected officials, transportation specialists and regional planners, acknowledged that regional taxes is not something that’s been done traditionally in New England.

Mass underemployment: Data show commonwealth may lead nation in workers at jobs below their educational level – Boston Business Journal

Others have also looked at the issue, including Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University. He agrees that underemployment — which he calls “malemployment” — is a big problem nationwide…

Sum wrote a study for public policy think tank MassINC titled “Recapturing the American Dream,” based on a sample of 40,000 Census surveys that compared the current job positions to the level of education of individual workers. It found that about 375,000 people, or 10.5 percent of the population, was working below their level in 2010.

That’s slightly better than 2009, when there were 450,000 in that situation, by his calculations.

His study…considered workers with associate degrees or lower, and found that people with less education were more likely to be malemployed.

“It’s pretty much a big problem everywhere,” said Sum, but added that, “Massachusetts is slightly better than the rest of the country.”

City should get more from Sox, watchdog says – Boston Globe

The City of Boston should demand significantly more money from the Red Sox on game days, when the team closes a public street, Yawkey Way, and turns it over to beer vendors and sausage sellers, according to a stern warning from the state inspector general.

In a letter sent last week, Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan also said the city should seek a better deal with the ball club for the lucrative seats atop the Green Monster, the familiar left field wall. The city gave up air rights over Lansdowne Street to create those seats in the century-old ballpark and should claim more income when a new financial agreement is drawn up after the 2013 season, he said.

Sullivan urged city officials to determine how much money the Red Sox have made using public property since 2003, when the team signed a relatively low-cost lease for the streets. The city should negotiate a better deal, he wrote…

 In his letter to the city, Sullivan also pushed Boston officials to seek compensation from the ball club for the game-day takeover of Van Ness Street, used as private parking for players, team staff, and others connected to the team…

The letter sent last week by the inspector general’s office was first reported on the website of Commonwealth Magazine.