Mass. Food Assoc. gets pipeline wrong
It has recently come to my attention that the Massachusetts Food Association has released a statement of support for the Kinder Morgan pipeline, declaring that “the pipeline project […]will provide a reliable, firm, clean burning and more affordable source of energy to our region that will help our member food stores and locations operate more economically and compete in this highly competitive marketplace.”
The MFA is wrong. 1.)The pipeline will not help our region explains U.S. Sen. Ed Markey: “The ultimate goal of some natural gas pipeline proposals being made in New England is not to help our residents with expanded infrastructure but to use New England as a throughway to export U.S. natural gas to Canada and ultimately to overseas markets.” 2.)The pipeline will permanently impact our forests, farms and wildlife habitat. Describes U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren: “Conservation commissions in towns along the intended route and citizen groups dedicated to protecting our state’s environment have also raised concerns that this proposed natural gas pipeline would needlessly disrupt environmentally sensitive conservation land. Because I share many of these concerns, I do not support the current proposal.” 3.)We don’t need the pipeline concludes Attorney General Maura Healy who thoroughly studied the issue and found “the region is unlikely to face electric reliability issues in the next 15 years and additional energy needs can be met more cheaply and cleanly through energy efficiency and demand response.”
Indeed if the MFA is looking for “clean” and “reliable” then they should support sustainable technologies that already exist here at home, instead of piping gas in from elsewhere. If the MFA wants to take such a destructive and misguided stance, then I, for one, will be boycotting the MFA by buying direct from local farmers at farmers markets and shopping at my local co-op, which sources their food from the same.
The following comments were received via the Advocate’s Facebook page or website.
Commented on “Between the Lines: Owen Labrie — Rapist or Simply a Jerk?”
I think the punishment should fit the crime and by crime I mean situation. This was not a violent rape. This is a case of a girl who got up and got caught. There’s too many variables to this story. He wasn’t a 40-year-old man. I think to ruin this kid’s life for poor judgment and acting on peer pressure is ridiculous — especially since the girl doesn’t seem to have been traumatized at all. Maybe angry parents and a jealous sister? Deny him an education and put him on a list that conjures a totally different stigma than what took place here. He was caught up in a peer group activity — he didn’t act alone. I’m not saying that this group’s behavior isn’t appalling however he shouldn’t have to wear a scarlet letter for the rest of his life — especially if we remember our own shenanigans as teenagers. But for the grace of God, there go I.
— Susan Rice
Commented on “5 Things to Love About the Hilltowns”
Yes! to the scenic beauty, the slow pace, the quirky finds and intentionally of residing in or visiting our Hilltowns. But no, to the slow Internet and lack of cell service. They are not cute. We have a deep digital divide that is harming our communities at an economic, social, and civic level. We are experiencing population loss, stagnation in jobs, real estate value decline. We need to solve our digital divide, that work is in process and results can’t come soon enough. The choice to unplug should be just that — a choice.
— Kimberly Longey
Commented on “Between the Lines: Get Community into the Springfield Community Police Review Board”
Municipal elections have a very low voter turnout. There is no reason to believe that turnout for a police review board would be any better. Furthermore one does not need a form to complain.
— Robert Joseph Underwood