2023-Sierran-digital - Flipbook - Page 11
MASC PAC Supports Environmental Champions
By Eilis Hellyar and Carolyn Conley-Das
In a close race, an endorsement from a prominent and
high-impact organization like Sierra Club can be a
vital factor in determining the election’s outcome. A
Massachusetts Sierra Club endorsement alerts voters
that their support for a particular candidate has the
power to in昀氀uence the future of our planet and its most
vulnerable inhabitants. And the Massachusetts Sierra
Club Political Action Committee (MASC PAC) ampli昀椀es
that message even further by providing direct campaign
support to candidates in priority races, helping them
reach more climate-focused voters and ultimately close
small gaps in fundraising and polls.
For example, just last year, the MASC PAC
supported Margaret Scarsdale’s campaign for State
Representative in the First Middlesex District. Our
contribution funded the purchase of door hangers,
helping Scarsdale’s campaign reach hundreds of
voters in the crucial weeks leading up to election
day. Scarsdale went on to win her election by just
seven votes in an unusually close race. Since then,
Representative Scarsdale has presented two petitions
to the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural
Resource this past year and signed on to all of Sierra
Club’s priority legislation.
In May 2023, Representative Scarsdale presented
Resolve for a Climate Change Staf昀椀ng Study (H.898),
which is a petition to conduct a study to determine
the appropriate staf昀椀ng levels and resources needed
to carry out climate change response planning. She
emphasized the imperative to equip communities with
the proper resources to adapt to changing conditions
and protect themselves from environmental disasters
because “no one is immune to the effects of climate
change.” The study will focus on ensuring that resources
for these efforts are provided for both rural and urban
communities so they can continue to work towards a
healthy and sustainable future, and so Massachusetts
will meet its 2030 and 2050 goals.
A month later, Representative Scarsdale introduced
An Act Relative to Liability for Release of Hazardous
Materials (H.899), an amendment of Massachusetts
General Laws, Chapter 21E, to rede昀椀ne the phrase
“condition of substantial release migration.” This change
will establish the promise of liability protection to
new owners of contaminated properties. The current
language permits the Massachusetts DEP to ignore and
defer liability when off-site contamination is found or
suspected years after a permanent solution. This bill
will con昀椀rm that the Commonwealth’s environmental
standards are upheld and will further protect human
health and public welfare.
Donations from MASC PAC supporters fuel our
mission and allow us to back political leaders who are
passionate about climate issues like Representative
Scarsdale. Real change begins at home, and you have the
power to in昀氀uence change at the state and local level.
In the words of Representative Scarsdale, “I believe
that climate change is not only the de昀椀ning issue of our
time, it is the issue that will de昀椀ne every time after this
one.” Join us in the 昀椀ght for a more environmentally just
future. Learn how to get involved with the MASC PAC or
donate online at www.masssierraclubpac.com.
Meet Our Political Director
By Jess Nahigian
I became an environmental activist when I learned about Massachusetts
environmental politics. One summer during college, interested in politics and
hoping to avoid the quagmire of Washington, I interned with a local advocacy
organization. I entered believing our state was where progress was being made
but was shocked to learn Massachusetts lacked concrete plans to do anything
about our overburdened land昀椀lls, let alone slow down the climate crisis. After
college, my commitment to environmental work landed me in an of昀椀ce in the City
of Cambridge’s planning department. I sat in my cubicle, reading PDF after PDF
of theoretical plans to deploy existing renewable technologies at scale to rapidly
reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. So why were these merely theories not
policy?
Continue reading on our blog: https://bit.ly/meet-our-political-director
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