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December 2008
A Regional Stormwater Solution Begins to Take Shape
Across New England, stormwater pollution has emerged as the major threat to the health of our rivers, lakes and streams. Some of our most treasured waters -- used by millions for recreation, fishing and other tourism -- are suffering from nutrient-laden stormwater running off parking lots, rooftops, streets and other paved areas.
Using a first-of-its-kind legal strategy, CLF is using the federal Clean Water Act to require existing developments like malls and big box stores to restore our waterways, many of which fail basic water quality standards for public health, recreation, and protection of fish and other wildlife.
In the past month, the US EPA has responded to CLF’s advocacy by ruling twice in Massachusetts and Maine that existing developments must clean up the stormwater pollution that flows off their roofs, parking lots and sidewalks. Earlier this year a judge in Vermont ruled the Agency of Natural Resources had failed to clean up stormwater runoff under the Clean Water Act and must take action to crack down on the harmful pollution flowing into Lake Champlain’s tributaries.
>> For more check out CLF’s stormwater page.
>> For more on the EPA’s rules for the Charles River in Massachusetts click here.
>> View a TV interview with advocate Anthony Iarrapino about our Vermont court victory.
>> For more on the EPA’s rules for Long Creek in South Portland Maine click here.
Quote of note:
"We can't pave our way out of congestion." - CLF transit attorney Carrie Russell
Read about it in the Boston Globe’s story on Big Dig traffic.
Check out CLF’s Climate Call to Action which calls for more investment in transit.
Court Victory! ’3 Strikes and You’re Out’ for Automakers
The US Federal District Court for Rhode Island last Tuesday dismissed a legal challenge from General Motors, Chrysler and two automobile manufacturer trade associations seeking to block state regulations requiring cleaner tailpipe emissions from new motor vehicles.
Rhode Island District Court Judge Ernest C. Torres concluded that allowing Detroit to bring successive lawsuits was “costly and vexatious” and a “waste of judicial resources.”
“It is difficult to see what interest the public has in permitting the plaintiffs another bite at the apple in challenging regulations limiting the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,” Judge Torres wrote in the decision. Attorneys for four environmental groups, including represented by CLF, that had intervened in the litigation hailed the decision as a win not just for the states and the environment, but also for the industry itself.
The car manufacturers had previously lost two identical lawsuits in federal district courts in Vermont and California. In Vermont and Rhode Island, CLF’s legal team worked side with state lawyers to defeat the automakers case.
>> Read CLF's Press release.
>> Read the New York Times article.
CLF Board Member Honored for Charles River Work
We want to congratulate CLF Board member John Thomas for receiving this year’s Clean Charles Award from the Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA)!
John is a nationally certified Professional Wetland Scientist, and is President and co-founder of Beals and Thomas, Inc., a consulting firm which “supports the development and conservation of land and water resources.”
Thomas led an effort with CRWA to demonstrate a low-impact development project in the town of Blackstone, MA. This retrofit project involves installing green infrastructure, such as rain gardens and tree pits, designed to capture stormwater runoff and prevent pollution from reaching the Blackstone River and other local waterways.
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