NY AG Eric Schneiderman resigns after the New Yorker reveals him as a violent man. He was leading the effort against Exxon. What now? Back at home, Boston will host a mayoral conference on climate in June. Listen in.

The reading list:

• New Yorker on Schniederman
• A loss for the Exxon case?
• WBUR on Boston's climate summit
• CLF and Synapse report no need for pipelines
• The Weymouth Compressor Station

Events

• HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES

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.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Trees play an important role in the vibrancy of cities. Listen in as we speak with David Meshoulam of “Speak for the Trees Boston” at the Local Environmental Action Conference last March at Northeastern.

The Reading list

• Stand for the Trees Boston website
• Worcester Tree Initiative
• Artist for Humanity
• Fast Company on trees in cities
• A 1970's reading of the Lorax
• HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES

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.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Scott Pruitt’s tiresome “swamp-monster” routine has moved beyond parody to absurdity but is nonetheless as a continuing insult to Climate Hawks. SAD! A more constructive and substantive discussion is happening around the putative need to support nukes and the more pragmatic need for electric busses. Listen in!

The reading list”

• Scott Pruitt in OK and DC
• NJ and Nukes
• Waste radioactive fuel casks at Pilgrim Station
• THE "Next System Project"
• MA needs electric busses

Events

• HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES

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.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Systemic racism expresses itself both before the law and in environmental injustice. Progress comes when Climate Hawks speak out about the issue. For example, the Flint water supply was damaged four years ago this week. Activist Siwatu-Salama Ra‘s imprisonment is a case of a combination of injustices. The good news is that a Minnesota judge has allowed the necessity defense in a jury case. This will allow the introduction of climate science into a court hearing—an important precedent for future legal cases. Listen in.

We talk to Nathaniel Stinnett of the Environmental Voter Project about what makes people vote. It turns out that two motivations to vote are peer pressure (you don’t want to be the only one who DIDN’T vote in this wave election) and expressing your deeply held commitment to the earth. Enviro’s should ‘vote like it is your job’ and take pride in expressing their green credentials at the ballot box. Listen in for tips on how to help motivate your friends and neighbors to vote for the planet.

What seems like a freak accident-a single backhoe knocking out the power for the whole island of Puerto Rico- is actually emblematic of the environmental injustice being perpetrated there. Listen in as we discuss.

A bill aimed at stifling climate activists was introduced into the Iowa legislature recently. According to Buzzfeed, “The bill is a ramped-up version of the generic “Critical Infrastructure Protection Act” that the American Legislative Exchange Council, a Virginia-based national conservative group, is pushing across the country. Iowa’s legislation criminalizes protest on any “land, building, conveyance, or other temporary or permanent structure” or a “water supply treatment, collection, storage or delivery system” considered part of the fossil fuel industry’s “critical infrastructure.” At the same time the SEC is trying to cut back on stockholder activism, a more abstract but important way to bring corporations like Exxon to account. Finally, we discuss the teacher strikes in the Midwest and how they relate to the climate movement. Listen in.

This Saturday, April 14, the March for Science will happen in Boston. The theme of this year’s Boston march is “Science Strikes Back!” This year, our focus is on being proactive—advocating for science-based public policy and getting more people involved in science. In particular, the spotlight will be on climate change, where the science so needs to be heard.  We discuss some of the bills in the MA Legislature, one on environmental justice, one on home energy scorecards and a climate hawk’s dream from Senator Pacheco. Listen in.

President Trump talked about “draining the swamp” as a major part of his campaign platform and yet he put in an EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, who appears to be the definition of “the swamp” that Trump promised to evacuate. We highlight some of Pruitt’s worst offenses including scrapping the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, instructing EPA staff to boldly deny the dangers of anthropogenic climate change, removing decision-making power from regional EPA directors, and accepting illegal gifts – in the form of cheap rent – from a fossil fuel energy lobbyist. Take some deep breaths before you dive in on this one – it may make you see red!

Massachusetts continues to demonstrate it’s leadership on climate issues. Maura Healy gets a win over Exxon and fights door to door greenwashing scams. Charley Baker gets a thumbs up for a ‘point of sale’ energy audit but a thumbs down for a poison pill proposal to put natural gas in a ‘clean peak power’ package. The Northern Pass finally gets rejected, and a pipeline lobbyist lurks on constituent emails, but then cleverly hits ‘Reply all’ to comment. Hmmm….