Hard to believe that Hurricane Sandy was five years ago this week. On today’s podcast, we discuss how the devastation from that storm broke the media silence on climate change—and the media seesaw we have been on since then. We celebrate the technical advances in solar and wind power, which have marched forward despite the political obstacles. Ever vigilant toward the continued tragedy in Puerto Rico, we examine the renewable energy access provided to the American protectorate by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla; and dissect the sketchy deal happening with Whitefish Energy Holdings out of Montana. On an optimistic note, we turn toward the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) in Massachusetts and its recent discussions to reduce transportation emissions. Governor Charlie Baker will be holding listening sessions—an excellent opportunity for climate hawks to have their ideas heard!

Massachusetts will conduct four listening sessions to gather feedback from the public on clean transportation:

• Tuesday, October 31, 9:00 am, State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA
• Thursday, November 2, 6:00 pm, MassDEP Central Region Office, 8 New Bond Street, Worcester, MA
• Monday, November 6, 11:00 am, UMass-Amherst, Student Union – Cape Cod Lounge, 280 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA
• Thursday, November 9, 6:00 pm, West Middle School, 271 West Street, Brockton, MA

Further reading:

Co-host D.R. Tucker writes about Hurricane Sandy’s fifth anniversary and where we are today

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/10/22/weather-we-cared/

Bloomberg article on Elon Musk and Puerto Rico

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-06/storm-hit-puerto-rico-tweets-offer-elon-to-prove-battery-tech

NPR report about Tesla turning on the power at a children’s hospital in Puerto Rico

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/25/560045944/tesla-turns-power-back-on-at-childrens-hospital-in-puerto-rico

Small Montana firm lands Puerto Rico’s largest contract to get the power back on

https://thinkprogress.org/puerto-rico-contract-raises-eyebrows-746a196e7831/

Twelve big cities to buy zero-emission buses

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN1CS13J

Cap and invest for the transportation sector in Massachusetts

http://bluemassgroup.com/2017/10/why-cap-and-invest-is-the-right-solution-for-massachusetts-transportation/

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.