OCTOBER 31, 2024

Dear Cambridge and Somerville Constituents —

Happy Halloween! 🎃 👻 💀🎃

This year, I got a little creative and came up with my own Halloween character: "MASSIVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE MBTA." You can check out my costume here on my Instagram, my Facebook page, or my Twitter.

As your State Representative, I have consistently stood up for tax fairness — working to raise taxes on the very wealthy and on large corporations — so we can afford bigger investments in public transit operations and infrastructure.

These efforts are finally starting to pay off, as local slow zones on the Red Line have been essentially eliminated, and 99% of the slow zones on the Orange Line have been eliminated as well.

Last month, I participated in a legislative briefing on the Bus Network Redesign, which promises 25% more service across the network, including the addition of high-frequency service in our community. And despite some concerning setbacks, service across the Green Line Extension is improving as well. By the end of this year, it's looking like rapid transit service on the T will be vastly improved. And yet, there's still a lot more work to do.

LEGISLATIVE LEADERS AGREE TO A FINAL VERSION OF THE CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY SITING BILL

When formal sessions ended on the morning of August 1, climate activists, myself included, were bitterly disappointed that legislative leaders failed to produce a final version of the climate and clean energy siting and permitting bill. 

For my part, I quickly got in touch with House Leadership and let them know my strong desire to return to session to finish our work on this important bill, along with the economic development bill and other unresolved pieces of legislation. 

In turn, Speaker Mariano announced he would call the House back into session, pending an agreement with the Senate on the economic development bill. Those negotiations are ongoing, but we've been hearing that progress is being made on that front.

Meanwhile, on October 17, House and Senate leaders announced a conference committee agreement on the climate and clean energy bill was reached. When approved, this will mean the legislature has passed significant climate and clean energy bills in each of my four terms in office. I'm proud of the progress we've made on this all-important issue — but just like our work on the MBTA, there's still a lot more to be done.

Climate and Clean Energy Conference Report, S.2967, An Act Promoting a Clean Energy Grid, Advancing Equity and Protecting Ratepayers.

The climate and clean energy conference report proposes a set of reforms and policies that aim to simplify the process for new clean energy infrastructure site identification and permitting while outlining additional components to adopting clean energy use in the Commonwealth. These proposals include:

• Establishing the Office of Environmental Justice and Equity to set new standards ensuring all have access to a clean environment. 
• Expediting the transition to clean energy infrastructure through consolidated state permitting for all state, regional, and local projects. 
• Increasing energy affordability by granting DPU authority to establish criteria for a moderate-income discount rate in addition to low-income rates.
• Outlining plans for long-term procurement of clean power and updating energy storage requirements. 
• Authorizing DOER to establish appliance standards with regard to the deployment of flexible demand technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions based on patterns of use.
• Requiring Energy Distribution Companies to deploy advanced metering infrastructure to assess energy usage and create a centralized data repository for consumer access.
• Requiring DOER to forecast electric vehicle charging demand through 2045 along major routes/service plazas in an effort to establish electric vehicle infrastructure.
• Increasing eligibility for lessees of an offshore wind facility for either the offshore wind tax credit or the refundable credit for capital investment.
• Including geothermal in the definition of a gas company and fusion energy as a renewable energy.

The final bill also includes reforms and updates to flood risk mapping, building code best practices, ecological restoration projects, and more.

On September 25, I joined with the Gas Transition Allies for a briefing on the steps we can take to expedite the transition away from gas. I'm pleased to see the conference report moves us in the right direction. According to Mothers Out Front, "the compromise language includes most of the gas transition provisions we’ve been fighting for and the best version of the cumulative impact analysis language that will protect overburdened communities - exactly the priorities our statewide campaign team has focused on."

The legislation also includes changes to the MassPort charter that will require the agency to consider reductions in greenhouse gas emission — this aligns with the goals of climate activists in their Stop Private Jet Expansion campaign.

Last week, the conference report passed the Senate on a vote of 38-2. When it came over to the House in an informal session — I was in the Chamber, hoping to vote on approval. However, the Republican Leader moved to doubt the presence of a quorum, a parliamentary tactic that automatically shuts down an informal session. As a result, Speaker Mariano has pledged to take up final passage of this bill when we return to formal session to vote on the economic development bill, hopefully in the coming days or weeks.

DCR BREAKS GROUND ON $1.5 MILLION IN BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN UPGRADES TO MEMORIAL DRIVE, FROM MAGAZINE BEACH TO THE BU BOATHOUSE

Last month, our community was devastated by another cycling fatality, when the driver of a Mercedes SUV lost control of his vehicle and struck and killed Newton cyclist John Corcoran on the sidewalk by the DeWolfe Boathouse during evening rush hour.

While this exact location isn’t in the legislative district I represent (my district runs from the other side of the BU Bridge up to River Street in this area), I quickly reached out to my colleagues, including Sen. Will Brownsberger and House Leader Mike Moran, and together we continued to push the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to make badly-needed improvements to this stretch of Memorial Drive.

In addition, I reached out to the Massachusetts State Police to inquire on the status of the investigation and to call for full accountability. I have been advised that the driver had their license suspended and the investigation is active and ongoing, pending the report of the Office of the Cheif Medical Examiner. While I pride myself on being a big proponent of criminal justice reform, I have also made clear there needs to be full accountability for this shocking incident. Most reports indicate Mr. Corcoran was riding his e-bike on the sidewalk, in front of the BU Boathouse, where the sidewalk is quite wide — so clearly, something went terribly wrong with the driver of the automobile when it exited the roadway and came up onto that sidewalk.

In the wake of this incident, I've been engaged in numerous meetings, zooms, and phone calls with DCR, my legislative colleagues, bike and pedestrian advocates, city officials, constituents, and neighborhood leaders. Safety upgrades in this area — from the Magazine Beach to the BU Boathouse — are now underway.
 
The narrow sidewalks from the Magazine Beach outdoor fitness area up to the BU Bridge will be widened into shared use paths up to 14’ — and sidewalks from the bridge to the boathouse will be widened to 13 feet. A dedicated bike lane will be added at the intersection with the BU Bridge. Wheelchair ramps will be widened, and chain-link fence in the area will be replaced with classy Boston Pattern Fence. Light poles and catch basins will be relocated to accommodate these upgrades.

Vehicle travel lanes will be further narrowed using a combination of curbing and line striping adjustments while maintaining safe access for emergency vehicles. A road diet has been implemented on the westbound side of Memorial Drive from the Magazine Beach pedestrian overpass to the Hyatt/Regency crosswalk to ensure safe bike and pedestrian access during construction, which is expected to last until the week of Thanksgiving. I’ve asked DCR to monitor traffic volumes during the road diet to help inform the potential for future automobile lane reductions as well.
 
Crosswalks will be repainted, and the speed limit in the area will be permanently lowered from 35 m.p.h. to 25 m.p.h., as we’ve requested.
 
Thank you to DCR for working with us on these changes, efforts that date back to requests our legislative delegation made last year and build on years of local advocacy — and thank you as well to the activists and residents who continue to call for safety upgrades along Memorial Drive.

Construction drawings and the traffic management plans are available here on the DCR website: Safety Improvements for the BU Bridge Corridor of Memorial Drive

My heart breaks for Mr. Corcoran and his loved ones — no one should die while cycling on our streets — especially when they are on a sidewalk. We need more infrastructure improvements in the short-, medium-, and long-term, along with stronger traffic enforcement. As someone who bikes, walks, and sometimes even jogs on these streets and sidewalks everyday, I remain strongly committed to all possible safety enhancements here and across our community.

Thank you, as always, for being an informed and engaged constituent of the 26th Middlesex. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns about these items or any other matter of interest to you.

Yours in service,

Rep. Mike Connolly