By Barbara Slayter
More than 50 Lincoln residents gathered at Bemis Hall on Saturday, March 22 at a Lincoln Democratic Town Committee (LDTC) meeting to hear from State Rep. Carmine Gentile and Lincoln resident and environmental activist Paul Shorb on topics including what the Massachusetts legislature is doing to protect its citizens from adverse actions by the federal government.
Shorb, along with Lara Sullivan, project manager for Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom and Anywhere (SPJE), addressed three key points:
- The climate bill signed by Gov. Healey last November requires Massport to promote environmental protection, resilience, and justice in its undertakings, not just commerce and economic growth. A Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for expanding Hanscom Air Field was rejected last April by the Massachusetts Environmental Protetion Agency (MEPA). A supplemental one was requested and should be available in a few months. The SPJE regards this as an important step forward in the process.
- Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the idea that synthetic jet fuel can be made from renewable sources. This has been a key argument in support of expanding private jet use at the airport, but few regard it as a viable solution since renewable resources for this purpose cannot be developed at the scale required.
- It is critical for the SPJE campaign (now composed of over 100 organizations including the LDTC) to keep a strategic focus on the issues, targeting the governor, legislature and the public with accurate information. Organizations are invited to become part of the coalition and residents are invited to sign the petition.
Gentile recognized Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s strong leadership in joining with Democratic AGs across the country to bring legal challenges to the federal government when it is violating state and individual constitutional rights. He also noted:
- The large cash reserves (which have increased in recent years) in the Massachusetts treasury along with its high bond rating, as buffers against loss of federal funding.
- The legislature’s awareness of both the challenges of the current federal government and need to move appropriate legislation through quickly. New rules should result in a speedier process.
- Bills co-sponsored by Gentile and currently pending in the Massachusetts legislature for raising the minimum wage, eliminating substandard care in for-profit hospitals and nursing homes, and underwriting various components of the educational system.
Lincoln residents expressed a variety of issues and concerns ranging from national politics to local land use, including:
- Broadening the base of the Democratic party
- Potential misuse of personal data of Massachusetts residents by DOGE
- Protecting our laws, especially those that could be weaponized
- Ways in which the loss of federal funds will affect Massachusetts
- Appreciation for MassHealth but alarm over its shortcomings
- Preventing concerns about antisemitism from becoming an infringement on free speech
- Increasing progress on the Massachusetts housing shortage and need to improve public transportation
- Options for land use of the area around the West Concord roundabout now that the prison has been closed
Questions demonstrated that residents who are proud of Massachusetts and pleased to live in this state are increasingly anxious and angry about the direction in which our federal government is moving.
LDTC Chair Travis Roland also announced upcoming events, including the Hands Off! protest on Saturday, April 5 at the Boston Common.
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