Latest Environmental News

The entrance to Palmer Paving Corporation's site in Springfield where the Palmer Renewable Energy Company planned to build a wood-burning biomass plant. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Environment

32 mins ago

DEP official cites “societal context” in East Springfield biomass plant ruling

Opponents of a long-planned biomass facility in East Springfield that would have burned wood to generate energy are applauding a new ruling upholding the state's decision to revoke permits for the project.

FILE - Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales, and Prince William, Prince of Wales, leave the Copper Box Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park after taking part in an event with Coach Core, in London, Oct. 13, 2022. Prince William and the Princess of Wales will make their first trip to the U.S. in eight years this week, hoping to focus attention on his Earthshot Prize for environmental innovators. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Prince and Princess of Wales draw thousands to City Hall

Local Coverage

1 hour ago

"ALRIGHT" co-curators Porsha Olayiwola (left) and Cierra Michele Peters confer during a rehearsal at the BCA's Plaza Theatre. (Amelia Mason/WBUR)

Boston's poet laureate examines climate catastrophe through a Black lens

Arts & Culture

2 hours ago

The empty lot where Eversource plans to build a substation in the City Yards, which is across the street from the American Legion Playground and behind an East Boston police station site. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

State clears East Boston substation for construction without 14 local environmental permits

Local Coverage

Nov 30, 2022

Workers connect a section of the first pole of Central Maine Power's controversial hydropower transmission corridor, Feb. 9, 2021, near The Forks, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP File)

Maine Supreme Court upholds lease for $1B power line project

Environment

Nov 30, 2022

Power Shift: The Future of Offshore Wind

Technicians of the Block Island Wind Farm Support Team repair a crack in the blade of one of the wind turbines. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

We asked big questions about the offshore wind industry. Here’s what we uncovered

Environment

Oct 15, 2021

Offshore wind is America's new industry. Who will build it?

Environment

06:41Oct 13, 2021

Fisherman Jamey McGroarty hurls a dogfish overboard to begin separating the squid from the bycatch from his haul. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

As turbines rise, small-scale fishermen have the most to lose

Environment

06:44Oct 14, 2021

The five turbines of the Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Big Oil wants to be Big Wind. Can fossil fuel companies be trusted?

Environment

06:13Oct 15, 2021

Series: Boston Under Water

A Blue Line train passes over a culvert next to the DCR Bennington Street Pump Station. Water from Suffolk Downs flows through the culvert into this pond. Water flowing in the opposite direction, from Belle Isle Marsh, is blocked by tide gates. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

The Blue Line Was Named For Boston Harbor. Now The Sea Threatens The Service

Local Coverage

06:24Jun 15, 2021

The Vertex building by Fan Pier in the Boston Seaport. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

The Seaport Cost Billions To Build. What Will It Take To Save It?

Local Coverage

07:13Jun 16, 2021

Flood waters cover Morrissey Boulevard in November 2020. (Matt Stone/ MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

As Sea Levels Rise in Boston, Stormwater May Have Nowhere To Go

Local Coverage

07:03Jun 17, 2021

Zy Baer's "Polarity" installation imagines how the Fort Point and Seaport neighborhoods could look if nothing is done to reverse the effects of climate change. (Courtesy Fort Point Arts Commission)

'Your Condo Is Going To Flood': A Sculptural Installation Predicts What Climate Change Could Bring

Local Coverage

03:13Jun 18, 2021

More Environmental News

A Kemp’s ridley sea turtle awaits an intake exam. (Vanessa Kahn/New England Aquarium)

Warmer currents may lead sea turtles to danger in Cape Cod Bay

Environment

02:47Nov 29, 2022

A sign by casks containing spent fuel on a concrete pad near the Pilgrim reactor building, warns of the presence of radioactive materials. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Company decommissioning Pilgrim edges closer to dumping contaminated wastewater in Cape Cod Bay

Local Coverage

Nov 29, 2022

Algae bloom at Prince Cove in Marstons Mills. Courtesy Barnstable Clean Water Coalition

Thousands of Cape Cod homeowners may need to replace septic systems under new state regulations

Local Coverage

Nov 28, 2022

A group of swans cross the Charles River by the Watertown dam. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Report: Charles River flooding will increase considerably with climate change

Environment

Nov 22, 2022

Eversource seeks 43% rate hike for electric customers in Mass. this winter

Local Coverage

Nov 18, 2022

A new-growth black cherry tree sprouts up in a stand of birch trees on protected conservation land in Weston, Mass. (Charles Krupa/AP. File)

State law now requires development of conservation land be replaced with newly protected land

Environment

Nov 18, 2022

A lobster rears its claws after being caught off Spruce Head, Maine, Aug. 31, 2021. A federal judge has delayed new lobster fishing rules for two years in a rare win for the industry in its fight against whale protections. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP File)

Lobster rules to protect whale will wait 2 years, judge says

Environment

Nov 18, 2022

Change is Simple program director Skye Fournier with a Paul Revere Elementary student inside the nonprofit's mobile learning lab. (Courtesy Change is Simple)

There's a hole in the state's climate efforts: elementary education

Local Coverage

05:31Nov 18, 2022

Eric Pray unpacks a lobster on a wharf in Portland, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP File)

Sustainability group revokes Maine lobster certification over concerns for whales

Local Coverage

03:14Nov 16, 2022

Eversource begins setting new rates in N.H., saying it's in an unprecedented position

Environment

Nov 16, 2022

Two turbines of the Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

A wind project promised Mass. cheap power. Then came inflation

Local Coverage

Nov 16, 2022

Researchers hoping to give the American chestnut tree a leg up on climate change

The goal of this "assisted migration" experiment is to see if humans could not only help the American chestnut tree deal with climate change but also help restore it.

Environment

03:26Nov 14, 2022

Juliane Manitz carries a "No Eastie Substation" sign at the Extinction Rebellion protest at the Condor Street Urban Wild against the proposed East Boston electrical substation. The proposed site is the fenced, snow covered area behind her. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

East Boston substation gets a ‘tentative’ go-ahead to bypass state and local environmental permits

The Energy Facilities Siting Board tentatively decided to give Eversource a special permit that will allow it to bypass the 14 remaining state and local permits the project still needs.

Local Coverage

Nov 10, 2022

A block of triple-deckers in Mattapan. Courtesy Ian Smith

What's the quickest way to cool off a block of triple-deckers? Research says: paint the roofs white

Boston's hottest city blocks can see summer temperatures up to 10-12 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than other parts of the city. Painting flat, black roofs white could significantly cool the area.

Local Coverage

Nov 10, 2022

Kaitlin Smith is one of several local leaders for the national organization Outdoor Afro. (Arielle Gray/ WBUR)

In Boston, connecting Black outdoor lovers with nature

Outdoor Afro was founded in 2009 by Rue Mapp. "It is essential for people of color and Black people to have safe communities that center nature," she says.

Arts & Culture

Nov 10, 2022

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DEP official cites “societal context” in East Springfield biomass plant ruling

Prince and Princess of Wales draw thousands to City Hall

Boston's poet laureate examines climate catastrophe through a Black lens

State clears East Boston substation for construction without 14 local environmental permits

Maine Supreme Court upholds lease for $1B power line project

We asked big questions about the offshore wind industry. Here’s what we uncovered

Offshore wind is America's new industry. Who will build it?

As turbines rise, small-scale fishermen have the most to lose

Big Oil wants to be Big Wind. Can fossil fuel companies be trusted?

The Blue Line Was Named For Boston Harbor. Now The Sea Threatens The Service

The Seaport Cost Billions To Build. What Will It Take To Save It?

As Sea Levels Rise in Boston, Stormwater May Have Nowhere To Go

'Your Condo Is Going To Flood': A Sculptural Installation Predicts What Climate Change Could Bring

Warmer currents may lead sea turtles to danger in Cape Cod Bay

Company decommissioning Pilgrim edges closer to dumping contaminated wastewater in Cape Cod Bay

Thousands of Cape Cod homeowners may need to replace septic systems under new state regulations

Report: Charles River flooding will increase considerably with climate change

Eversource seeks 43% rate hike for electric customers in Mass. this winter

State law now requires development of conservation land be replaced with newly protected land

Lobster rules to protect whale will wait 2 years, judge says

There's a hole in the state's climate efforts: elementary education

Sustainability group revokes Maine lobster certification over concerns for whales

Eversource begins setting new rates in N.H., saying it's in an unprecedented position

A wind project promised Mass. cheap power. Then came inflation

Researchers hoping to give the American chestnut tree a leg up on climate change

East Boston substation gets a ‘tentative’ go-ahead to bypass state and local environmental permits

What's the quickest way to cool off a block of triple-deckers? Research says: paint the roofs white

In Boston, connecting Black outdoor lovers with nature