The SouthCoast was recently divided over something no one ever expected to take sides on: the marbled salamander.
The story of a South Dartmouth family vs. the Commonwealth of Massachusetts left many wondering why the government could dictate what they could and could not do on their private property, potentially costing tens of thousands of dollars in fines for violations.
In the case of South Dartmouth’s Allen Neck Road, the residential property and a significant area around the home was designated by the Priority Habitat for the marbled salamander, which is listed as a threatened species under the state of Massachusetts. The disturbance of a marbled salamander s habitat is a violation of the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act, the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act, and the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act. Violations against any of the above three Acts are subject to large civil penalties, some as high as $25,000 per day.
JOINT BASE CAPE COD With plans set to move forward with a proposed multipurpose machine-gun range, members of the state’s Congressional delegation echoed the concerns of the community and environmental organizations in a joint letter late last week.
U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. William Keating shared their concerns in a letter sent to the Massachusetts Army National Guard on Friday, and requested additional action prior to construction of the proposed gun range at Camp Edwards.
In response, members of Joint Base Cape Cod spoke out on the stringent measures taken to ensure the multipurpose gun range is environmentally safe.
TAUNTON A new gasification facility, meant to deal with the region s sludge, has been proposed to built on the site of Taunton s defunct landfill.
It would be owned and run by Aries Clean Technologies a Tennessee-based company whose facilities, one in Tennessee and one soon-to-open in New Jersey, take sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants and turn it into biochar through a gasification process.
Aries s plan boasts financial boons for the city, especially after the closure of the landfill on East Britannia Street last year.
But the city has received a letter of opposition from a conservation advocacy group about the potential environmental and health impacts, giving some in city government pause.
QUINCY – A Suffolk Superior Court judge has thrown out the Quincy Conservation Commission s decision to not grant an environmental permit to rebuild the Long Island Bridge.
The City of Boston claims the judge s decision proves it is doing its due diligence when it comes to environmental protection in its attempt to rebuild the bridge connecting Quincy to Long Island. But Quincy officials say the ruling is just a hiccup, and that the fight is far from over.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh wants to build a substance abuse recovery center on Long Island, but Quincy officials say there is no guarantee Boston won’t try to develop the island further, that the bridge will open up Squantum to heavy traffic and that the existing plan poses a threat to the environment. The two cities have been battling over the potential project since January 2018.